2/19/14 V5i8 by South Florida Gay News

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Last week’s hottest items couldn’t wait to be printed... Compiled by John McDonald

Olympians Silent on Russia’s Anti-Gay Propaganda Law A campaign to draw attention to Russia’s antigay laws isn’t gaining traction among Olympic athletes, who so far have avoided saying or doing anything to protest the measures. Organizers say they aren’t discouraged, though, and believe some athletes still may speak out before the games are over. “We think athlete voices are still powerful in this debate,” said Andre Banks, executive director of AllOut, one of the groups protesting

1 Photo: Wikipedia

the laws. “But at the end of the day it’s up to the athlete to find the moment to make that expression.” Midway through the Olympics, no athletes have found that moment, and the issue of gay rights has largely faded into the background at the games. But Banks held out hope that one or more athletes would make a public stand while in Sochi.

Contributing Columnists

gonna be people in America and everywhere else who will definitely hate me,” said Nobilette while waiting to hear her Hollywood Week fate before the judges. “But I think that in the last two years there have been a lot of things that have really changed that, and have made it a positive thing.” American Idol, which airs on Fox, is in its 13th season with the network.

She said, if elected in the traditionally red state, she would support the repeal of the voterapproved constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage. She spoke the day after a federal judge in San Antonio heard arguments that the ban on gay marriage violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.

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Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Supports Marriage Equality Wendy Davis said she supports gay marriage and called on Attorney General Greg Abbott to stop defending the Texas Constitution’s definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. Davis, 50, the Democratic candidate for Texas governor from Fort Worth, told the San Antonio Express-News editorial board that two people who want to marry should be allowed to do so regardless of their sexual orientation.

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‘American Idol’ Has First Openly Gay Contestant One of America’s longest running talent shows finally has an openly gay contestant. M.K. Nobilette, 20, is officially the first openly gay contestant on “American Idol.” It’s really just a crazy technicality: Gay contestants in the past (Clay Aiken, Adam Lambert, etc.) had never spoken of their sexuality on camera, seemingly by the show’s design. “I’m very obviously gay, and there are always

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RYAN UHRE, MISSING SINCE SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, HAS BEEN FOUND DEAD IN A TALLAHASSEE BUILDING. PHOTO: TWITTER

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News Briefs

data in the social sciences. This information on sexual orientation and community-level prejudice was then linked longitudinally to mortality data via the National Death Index, through 2008.

Compiled by John McDonald

Chelsea Clinton: LGBTQ Rights ‘Unfinished Business’ of This Century

Adapting a line from her mother, Chelsea Clinton said Sunday that shedding light on LGBTQ issues should be a major focus for human rights advocates this century. “My mother has often said that the issue of women is the unfinished business of the 21st century,” she said of Hillary Clinton, the former New York senator and U.S. Secretary of State. “That is certainly true. But so too are the issues of LGBTQ rights the unfinished business of the 21st century.” Chelsea Clinton was tapped as the keynote speaker for a Human Rights Campaign conference in Las Vegas — another appearance in a series of high-profile events for the former first daughter.

ob Attacks Gays in Nigeria

A mob armed with wooden clubs and iron bars, screaming that they were going to “cleanse” their neighborhood of gay people, dragged 14 young men from their beds and assaulted them, human rights activists in Abuja, Nigeria said Saturday. Four of the victims were marched to a police station, where they allegedly were kicked and punched by police officers who yelled pejoratives at them, said Ifeanyi Orazulike of the International Center on Advocacy for the Right to Health. Police threatened that the men would be incarcerated for 14 years, he said, the maximum prison sentence under Nigeria’s new Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, dubbed the “Jail the Gays” law. Activists have warned the law could trigger attacks such as the one perpetrated in the early hours of Thursday morning in Abuja, the capital of Africa’s most populous nation. Mob justice is common in Nigeria and civil rights organizations have been warning for years of an increase in community violence and the government’s failure to curb acts in which people have been beaten to death for perceived crimes such as theft. “Since the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act was signed, we have expressed concern as a friend of Nigeria that it might be used by some to justify violence against Nigerians based on their sexual orientation,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement Friday. “Recent attacks in Abuja deepen our concern on this front.” Orazulike said he got a panicked email from a colleague who said he was hiding from a mob of 40 people who struck around 1 a.m. Thursday, going from house to house saying their mission was “to cleanse” the area of gays.

// 2.19.2014 // SFGN.com //

Despite her famed political lineage, Clinton, 33, has said she has no plans to run for public office. In her address, Clinton pushed for more progress in combating bullying of gay youths. She pointed to celebrities such as Jason Collins, the NBA veteran who announced that he was gay in a Sports Illustrated story in April, and actress Ellen Page, who came out as gay at the same Las Vegas conference last Friday, as role models changing the lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, queer narrative. “Changing laws and changing the political dialogue while necessary is insufficient to ensure that bullying stops; to ensure that

awsuit Challenges Alabama Anti-Gay Marriage Law

A gay man whose partner was killed in a car accident has filed a federal lawsuit challenging Alabama laws that bar the recognition of his marriage, which took place in Massachusetts. The lawsuit, filed in Montgomery federal court, seeks to force Alabama to recognize same-sex marriages performed in states that allow them. Lawyers said the bans are unconstitutional and treat Alabama gays and lesbians as second-class citizens. “The sanctity laws silence and demean lesbian and gay Alabamians by sending a clear message: You are less than other citizens and your relationships mean nothing here,” said Samuel E. Wolfe, a lawyer with the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is representing the plaintiff. The suit — coming just one day after a federal judge in Kentucky struck down that state’s similar ban — was initiated by Paul Hard, 55, of Montgomery. Hard says he was treated cruelly after the death of his husband, David Fancher, virtually ignored at the Alabama hospital where Fancher was taken after the accident. Hard said he is also fighting to be considered as the surviving spouse in ongoing litigation over Fancher’s death. Fancher, 53, died within moments of the crash, but Hard said hospital staff refused to give him any information about his condition because the two weren’t considered legally related. An orderly later passed on the news that Fancher had died, Hard said. The pain was compounded when the death certificate listed Fancher as never married. Hard said he futilely begged to have that changed. soflagaynews //

every young person is supported by their parents and their teachers as they question who they are and they discover who they are regardless of the sexuality,” Clinton said.

tudy: Shorter Life Expectancy for LGB Individuals in Anti-Gay Communities

In the first study to look at the consequences of anti-gay prejudice for mortality, researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health found that LGB individuals who lived in communities with high levels of antigay prejudice have a shorter life expectancy of 12 years on average compared with their peers in the least prejudiced communities. “The results of this study suggest a broadening of the consequences of prejudice to include premature death,” noted the study’s lead author, Mark Hatzenbuehler, PhD, assistant professor of Sociomedical Sciences. The study is online in the journal Social Science & Medicine. “Our findings indicate that sexual minorities living in communities with higher levels of prejudice die sooner than sexual minorities living in low-prejudice communities, and that these effects are independent of established risk factors for mortality, including household income, education, gender, ethnicity, and age, as well as the average income and education level of residents in the communities where the respondents lived,” said Dr. Hatzenbuehler. “In fact, our results for prejudice were comparable to life expectancy differences that have been observed between individuals with and without a high school education.” In order to examine the relationship between prejudice and mortality, the researchers constructed a measure capturing the average level of anti-gay prejudice in the communities where LGB individuals lived, beginning in 1988, using data on prejudicial attitudes from the General Social Survey, one of the primary sources of social indicator

SouthFloridaGayNews

ihanna Joins Campaign for Gay Rights in Russia

Pop star Rihanna is adding major star power to the campaign for gay rights in Russia. The singer behind hits such as “Disturbia” and “SOS” tweeted a photo of herself wearing a hat emblazoned with P6, short for Principle 6. The campaign speaks out against Russia’s anti-gay propaganda law as the nation hosts the Winter Olympics. Rihanna has 34 million followers on Twitter. The photo links to her Instagram account, which has about 12 million followers. In subsequent tweets, she posted links to other articles highlighting the issue. Equality group All Out tweeted the singer back. “Whoah. Thank you @rihanna for standing up for #P6 and equality at the Olympics!” the group posted. Russia has faced criticism for its policies involving homosexuality leading up to the Olympics in Sochi. In June, its parliament passed a law that makes it illegal to tell children about gay equality. The international community has widely criticized the law as archaic and discriminatory. And last week, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree banning foreign same-sex couples from adopting Russian children. The move also bans singles from countries where same-sex marriages are legal from adopting Russian children. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia, unlike some other countries, does not criminalize homosexual relationships. “We don’t outlaw anything and don’t nab anyone,” Putin said last month. “That’s why you can feel safe and free here, but please leave our children in peace.”

news highlight

O R P G N I T EAE aM TTRH nd OST

Uganda Be Kidding Me African country preparing to criminalize homosexuality John McDonald jeanmichelmcdonald@gmail.com

The President of the Republic of Uganda is preparing to sign a bill into law that will effectively criminalize homosexuality. A government spokesman in Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, announced via Twitter that President Yoweri Museveni “will assent the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law.” That government spokesman, Ofwono Opondo, also Tweeted, “14 medical experts presented a report that homosexuality is not genetic but a social behavior.” Museveni apparently was influenced to sign the bill after a week-long retreat with members of his National Resistance Movement political party. He is up for reelection in 2016. Aaron Jensen, spokesperson for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the U.S. State Department said, “The United States opposes any action that criminalizes same-sex conduct among adults.” Jensen went on to say that, “Whatever form this bill takes, we are opposed to it.” Museveni has held power in Uganda since 1986 and, officially, the country calls itself a republic. A landlocked country in East Sub Sahara Africa, Uganda’s boundaries were created by Britain during colonization. Uganda received its independence from Britain in 1962 and today has a population of more than 34 million people, ranking 37th globally. Museveni had previously made public statements against imprisoning homosexuals for life, saying, instead, he believed gay people were “sick” and “abnormal.” His about face on the bill was Tweeted to the world by Opondo on Friday, “The NRM

caucus has welcomed the development as a measure to protect Ugandans from social deviants.” In response to the bill, Robyn Lieberman, a senior advocacy strategist with Human Rights First, a non-profit, nonpartisan

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human rights organization in New York and Washington, D.C., released the following statement Friday: “Human Rights First today expressed deep concern over reports that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has announced that he will sign the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law, which will have severely adverse consequences for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people as well as other Ugandans.”

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SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 2.19.14 //

news bites

by John McDonald

‘Homosexuals Should Be Exterminated’

A confidant of suspected arsonist Musab Masmari turned FBI informant said the motive behind the New Year’s Eve fire at popular Seattle gay club Neighbors stemmed from Masmari’s “distaste for homosexual people.” Further, the informant was concerned that the suspect “may be planning terrorist activity” reports Seattle’s CBS affiliate, KIRO-TV. Documents filed in King County Superior Court say that Masmari, 30, told a friend who is a member of the local Muslim community that “homosexuals should be exterminated.” The friend-turned-informant contacted the FBI.

Actress Ellen Page Comes Out

Actress Ellen Page, known for her role in “Juno,” announced she is gay during an emotional speech Friday in a crowded conference hall in Las Vegas. “I’m here today because I am gay. And because... maybe I can make a difference,” Page, 26, told a crowd at an event called Time to THRIVE, a conference to promote issues of the gay community. The Canadian star got a standing ovation during the speech. “I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission,” Page told the crowd. “I suffered for years, because I was scared to be out.”

Virginia’s Gay Marriage Ban Struck Down

A federal judge in Norfolk, Virginia, last week struck down the state’s ban on same-sex couples marrying, but stayed the execution of her order, that the state stop enforcing the law, pending appeal to the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Whatever the Fourth Circuit’s decision, it will apply to Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, and West Virginia. “Equality isn’t something that happens just up north,” said American Foundation for Equal Rights executive director Adam Umhoefer, at a press conference Friday morning.

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An Italian gay-rights activist says she was detained by police in the Olympic host city after being stopped while carrying a rainbow flag saying “Gay is OK” in Russian. Vladimir Luxuria, a former Communist lawmaker in the Italian parliament who has become a prominent transgender rights crusader, said on her website and Twitter feed that she was held for several hours Sunday before being released. It was not known if she was charged with any offense. Her website published a photograph of her after her release. Before her arrest, she tweeted: “I’m in Sochi. Greetings in the colors of the rainbow, in Putin’s face.” Sochi police would not comment.

SouthFloridaGayNews

Texas Judges Officiate ‘Commitment’ Ceremonies

An offer by two Texas judges to officiate same-sex “commitment” ceremonies at an Austin courthouse on Valentine’s Day has sparked the anger from GOP politicians who noted the Lone Star State bans gay marriage. The Austin American-Statesman reported Saturday the offer by County Court-at-Law Judge John Lipscombe and his wife, visiting Judge Jan Breland, a retired county court-at-law judge, was part of a 25-year tradition to hold free courthouse weddings on Valentine’s Day. The pair issued a statement Thursday saying the event would include “free commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples.” Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples slammed the judges’ offer saying it’s wrong for a sitting judge “to hold a ceremony mocking our state constitution.”

news national LGBT Media Conference to be Held in Washington D.C.

Fifth annual event will focus on skill building Denise Royal

The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association will host the 2014 LGBT Media Journalists Convening on Friday, Feb. 28 to Sunday, March 2 in Washington, D.C. This year’s theme is ‘Honing Our Game’ and will focus on skill building. “A lot of the bloggers who end up as experts and as talking heads on TV need media training. We’re going to give them some journalism training. We’re going to go over a lot of items that are overlooked in the LGBT community. Basic journalist things like how to file a Freedom of Information Request,” said Bil Browning, founder and Publisher of the Bilerico Project. Also on the agenda is Geek Tech — a look at what’s happening now in technology. “We’ll

teach attendees the basics like how to put up a YouTube video. We’ll answer questions like how to do get the maximum impact from Twitter and other social media? We’ll instruct attendees on how to incorporate Instagram into reporting. We’ll also look at what may be next that you may not know about,” Browning said. The event itself is by invitation only. A committee decides who is asked to come. Just about every major LGBT newspaper and blog is invited. “We also search for voices that aren’t being heard broadly. We try to bring their reporting in line with mainstream LGBT outlets. The same goes with journalists of color and trans journalists,” Browning told SFGN. Still, journalists from around the country

can participate. Forum attendees will report, blog, live stream, pin, tweet, etc., throughout the event. NLGJA members not attending are invited to follow the social media action, to take part in the conversation and learn as well. A Facebook page has been set up for the event. Follow #LGBTMedia14 to be part of the conversation. The annual event is sponsored by the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund and this is the fifth year. Last year’s event was held in Philadelphia.

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Win money for your big, artsy idea. The Knight Arts Challenge is seeking applications and will award funds to those with the best arts idea. The deadline to enter is Feb. 24, 2014. “We are looking for ideas authentically South Floridian. Art ideas that could only happen here. Ideas that are bold, innovative,” said Tatiana Hernandez, Knight Arts Challenge program officer. “We are looking for folks who realize that the arts brings people together and inspires them to be bigger than they are.” The Challenge started in 2008. The Knight Foundation has $2.2 billion in assets and disperses this money out to support the arts community. That community spans from Key West to West Palm Beach. In 2012, Neil de la Flor and Paula Kolek won $30,000 for their “Reading Queer” project. This weeklong writer’s series celebrates genderbending literature in Miami. “Our mission is to transform the lives of the queer community through the act and the art of creative writing,” said Neil de la Flor. “Currently, we are programming our 2014 Reading Queer Creative Writing Academy. This is exciting because we’re putting the grant funds to use by hiring local queer writers to lead these creative writing workshops. There will be writing workshops that focus on comedy, political blogging, poetry, memoir and other interesting topics that will appeal to all writers.” Ever Chavez won and created “Out in the Tropics,” an annual LGBT performance arts festival. This festival included educational workshops in high schools and community centers.

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Grants also went to support a Caribbean book festival in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood; Frank “Rat Bastard” Falestra won monies to help support his annual International Noise Conference in Miami. The challenge is open to everyone: artists and artist collectives of all types, businesses, established arts institutions, and any individual with a great idea for the arts. The application is simple Hernandez says. It’s a mere 150 words. Participants must follow these three rules: 1. The idea must be about the arts. 2. The project must take place in or benefit South Florida. 3. The grant recipients must find funds to match Knight’s commitment within a year of winning. Applications are available in Spanish, English and Creole. Non-Florida residents can apply, too, as long as the project will occur in South Florida. “Many Miamian artists are based out of New York, but still want to do work here,” Hernandez says. Community Q&A sessions are available to find out more. Visit KnightArts.org to download an application.

news

This Month’s News from South Florida AIDS Network Sean McShee

Each month HIV service providers and members of the HIV infected and affected communities meet to exchange information and gain knowledge about HIV at the monthly meeting of the South Florida AIDS Network (SFAN). Below are the highlights of the SFAN meeting on February 7, 2014. A representative of the Children Diagnostic and Treatment Centers reported that of all the babies born in Broward County in 2013, none were born infected with HIV.

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ADAP Patient Choice Issues

At the January SFAN meeting, people reported that some local ADAP patients had been told that they could use only the CVS pharmacy to fill their ADAP prescriptions. Joey Wynn reported at this meeting that this is happening throughout Florida, threatening patient choice, a key priority in Ryan White CARE. More concretely, the question becomes whether HIV specialty pharmacies will be included in the ADAP network of pharmacies. In order to resolve this problem, an “administrative rule change” has to occur, requiring local workshops throughout the state. The Broward workshop will occur on Feb. 26, 2014 at Holy Cross Hospital Auditorium, 4700 N. Federal Highway (at 47th Street, NE), from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. According to Joey Wynn, it is important that large numbers of people attend this workshop. Joey Wynn emphasized “It’s not just about revenue; it’s about quality of life.”

New Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program

Anne Mercer reported on the new Ryan White Care residential substance abuse detox and aftercare program. This is a seven day detox, thirty day aftercare program. After the 30 days, clients are transitioned to other Ryan White Care programs. Since November, this program has served 14 clients, five of whom had been homeless.

Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA)

Mario DeSantis reported that HOPWA’s short-term rent program could run into a deficit soon and will need to be revised. HOPWA will be setting up community

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forums to discuss possible revisions to this program.

The Mobile Health Manager

Donna Sabatino presented information on the Mobile Health Manager, a free app for mobile devices. Jansen Pharmaceuticals developed this free app to help people adhere to their medication schedules. This app is not HIV specific and can work with thousands of non-HIV drugs as well as HIV drugs. Someone enters their medications, medication schedules, and their preferred text for a reminder message. The app will send them that reminder message when it’s time take to take their meds. You can download this app to your cell phone for free from Care4Today.com.

Needle Exchange Bill in Florida

Representatives Pafford (D Palm Beach), Richardson (D Miami-Dade), and Saunders (D-Orange), introduced a needle exchange bill (the Infectious Disease Elimination Pilot Project, HB 491) in the Florida legislature. It will be entirely privately funded, but as the state now bars distributing syringes to known drug users, the state has to give its approval. The bill is now in the Health Quality Subcommittee.

Announcements

SunServe has opened a program for transgender services. These services are not restricted to HIV. Next Meeting March 6, 2014 at 6 p.m. at the Holy Cross Healthplex, Dorothy Mangurian Comprehensive Women’s Center, 1000 NE 56th Street Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33334. These meetings are open to the public and newcomers are encouraged to attend. soflagaynews //

SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 2.19.14 //

news analysis

How Prisons Protect Some Inmates

Forced Sex in Prison Report When you can’t escape from your attacker

Sean McShee

Sean McShee The U.S. Department of Justice has released its report, “Sexual Victimization in Prisons, and Jails Reported by Inmates, 2011–12: National Inmate Survey, 2011–12.” As this survey collected data for the sexual orientation of the victim, differences in risk between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) inmates and heterosexual inmates became visible: LGB inmates are much more likely to be victims than are straight inmates. Sexual victimization or forced sex ranges from nonconsensual touching to gang rape. Fortunately most inmates both straight and LGB reported no sexual victimization. Unfortunately, the survey did not collect data for the victimization of transgender individuals. This report distinguished forced sex by inmates from forced sex by staff. The U.S. legal system defines all sexual contact between staff and inmates as victimizing. The report defined only nonconsensual sexual behavior among inmates as forced. Males and females reported differences in forced sex by other inmates. Gay/bi male inmates were about 12 times more likely to report forced sex by other inmates than were straight male inmates. Lesbian/bi women were 2.6 times more likely to report forced sex by another inmate than were straight women. While both gay/bi men and lesbian/ bi women reported higher rates of forced sex by staff than did straight inmates, the differences between LGB males and females were much less sharp. Gay/bi male inmates were 3 times more likely to be sexually forced by staff than were straight male inmates, and lesbian/bi women were 2.1 times more likely than straight female inmates to be forced by staff. Only straight males reported greater forced sex by staff than by other inmates. Age had minimal affects on LGB sexual victimization. LGB inmates between the ages of 18 and 24 were 1.3 times more likely to report forced sex by other inmates than were LGB inmates 45 and older. Those LGB inmates 45 and older, however, were 6.8 times more likely to report forced sex by other inmates than were straight inmates between 18 and 24. Victimization rates by staff differed less, but showed a similar pattern of greater differences by sexual orientation than by age range. While this report has many excellent features, it does have some serious

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limitations. First, this report failed to collect any transgender data, despite obvious high vulnerability. As a result an unknown portion of the LGB victims actually are transgender victims. Second, data in this report probably undercounts forced sex; people notoriously under-

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14.0%

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Percent of Inmates by Age and by Sexual 7r8enta9on :e;or9ng <orced Sex =8t> 7t>er Inmate

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report rape. Third, surveys rely on self-reporting. While self-reporting provides an excellent source of subjective perception of “reality” problem solving craves “objective” facts. Objective measures could have strengthened this report. For example, according to this survey, 3,743 LGB inmates responded that they were injured during forced sex by another inmate. Records of these injuries should exist and could corroborate the findings in this report. Despite its limitations, this work helps to frame sexual victimization as a problem that should be resolved, especially in the U.S. with 5 percent of the world’s population but almost 25 percent of the world’s prison population. To access the full report visit http://www.bjs.gov/content/ pub/pdf/svpjri1112.pdf

10.0% 8.0% 6.0% 4.0% 2.0% 0.0% 18-‐24

25-‐44 LGB

14.0%

45+ HET

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Het Males

Lesbian/Bi Females

Het Women

In 2003, Congress, with strong bi-partisan support, passed the first federal law to protect prisoners from sexual assault, The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). This Act also required the regular surveying of inmates to monitor sexual victimization of inmates, such as the National Inmate Survey. This reporter spoke about forced sex in prisons and jails with someone who works within the U.S. prison/ jail industry. According to Jordan (not the worker’s real name), prisons and jails use a segregation system whereby prisoners are assigned to different units at the discretion of staff. Staff can use this assignment process to protect prisoners with provisions of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). PREA requires entry interviews at booking or transfer between facilities. Jordan reported that in these interviews, an inmate can selfdisclose if they have fears of forced sex. These interviews provide an opportunity to disclose sexual orientation. Some facilities have a separate unit for transgender prisoners. Gay/bi men can request to be assigned to that unit, or some other unit, if they disclose safety concerns in the entry interview process. Lesbian and bi women tend to be housed among the general female population. While all policies can be improved, the enactment of a law to protect prisoners from the “cruel and unusual punishment” of sexual assault in prison marks a major step forward, as does the creation of special protective units within prisons. The processes set in motion by this law helps to protect people who can’t run away from their attackers.

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SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 2.19.14 //

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“I’m still conservative, absolutely,” said openly gay Jimmy LaSalvia. “I have traditional, conservative values.” La Salvia is a co-founder of GOProud, a political action organization for gay Republicans. GOProud was formed in part because LaSalvia felt that Log Cabin Republicans, the older and more traditional gay conservative group, was leaning a bit too far to the left. Many eyebrows were raised when LaSalvia renounced his affiliation with the Republican Party in early 2014. No longer GOProud’s executive director, he’s now registered as an independent. “With all the attention it got you’d think the Pope announced he was Jewish,” he said. “It struck a nerve.” LaSalvia is a supporter of gay marriage, which many Republican lawmakers oppose. LaSalvia explained his decision to SFGN. “The Republican Party is out of touch with life in America,” he said. “They will never win another presidential election. The cultural disconnect among Republican leaders is so severe it’s beyond repair. Real life in America today includes everyone. It’s hard for people to come to terms with change. Republicans are loud and vocal in their opposition to change, and it’s driving them to their demise.” LaSalvia is now registered as an independent. “So many people have reached out and said you’re right,” he said. “I think that my announcement has struck a nerve among Republicans who feel that neither party represents them. I’ve always worked within the system to make change. I’ve determined that the system is so dysfunctional that we need a new innovative approach.” He claims that 42 percent of Americans feel as he does. Liberal LGBT people have accused LaSalvia of “selling out” or supporting bigotry. Many took issue with LaSalvia’s friendship with conservative pundit Ann Coulter, who was a headliner at Homocon, GOProud’s 2012 convention. Coulter often receives sharp criticism for her views. “I not only want ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ for the military, I want ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ for society,” she once told an interviewer. “Just give me a week where we’re not talking about

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the gays.” “I do not tolerate bigotry,” LaSalvia said. “Coulter is not an anti-gay homophobe. Think of Ann’s audience — it’s not the gay left. She stood up for gay people, she welcomes gays into the conservative movement.” He admits that he considers Coulter to be wrong on a number of issues and that they often disagree. “The political landscape has been us vs. them,” LaSalvia said. “I’ve tried to erase that mindset when it comes to gays and conservatives. Ann and I are trying to show that straight conservatives and gay people have more in common than not. That’s the message that conservatives need to hear. I’m proud of the progress I’ve made to that end.” LaSalvia asks that people not be so quick to judge him. “I have been criticized for some of my tactics, but no one should question my motives,” he said. “I want everyone to have equal opportunity in everything. Everything I’ve done in my career has been to that end. I want everyone to realize the American dream.” What does the future hold for the exRepublican? “It’s time to broaden the scope of my work,” he said. “I’m doing consulting work on different projects — I consulted with the ACLU on their marriage initiative.” He’s also looking beyond the borders of the U.S. “I want to help gay people in other countries,” he said. “I may start to do more work in that area.” He mentioned the Iranian Queer Railroad as a cause he was interested in. Headquartered in Toronto, the Iranian Queer Railroad offers assistance to Iranian LGBT people seeking asylum from the harsh Iranian regime. Financial and housing assistance are among the services offered. Homosexuality is a capital crime in Iran. The news media has reported on public floggings, hangings, and other forms of execution to those in Iran who’ve been found “guilty” of homosexuality. “I want to remain involved in helping gay people,” LaSalvia said. “America is a beacon of freedom.”

Hotel Gaythering Hoping to Rally Community

news

New hotel has South Beach buzzing John McDonald

jeanmichelmcdonald@gmail.com

It’s not that Miami isn’t ready for something like this, it’s that the community sorely needs it. This is what one commonly hears when discussing the gay community in Miami. Aside from a few long running bars like Twist, and a few gift shops scattered across South Beach, a typical talking point in conversations amongst young entrepreneurs is, “there is no gay community in Miami.” Well, Hotel Gaythering is hoping to change that in a unique and creative way. The new hotel is striving to nurture impactful experiences and relationships with the LGBT community and others. Tucked away on the bay end of Lincoln Road, Miami’s uber-popular shopping destination, Hotel Gaythering is just emerging on the South Beach scene. Owners Stephan Ginez and Alexander Guerra have worked tirelessly preparing for an official opening at the boutique style hotel. Originally constructed in 1958 as an art deco apartment complex, Hotel Gaythering has 25 large rooms with interiors inspired by French designer Phillipe Starck. With spectacular views of the Miami skyline, the curbed king bedrooms are a perfect place for a power nap on dreamy satin sheets before events of the evening. An amenity in rooms is a sonic mood generator, a touch by Ginez, which provides gentle sounds to help you sleep, relax or focus. There are multitudes of channels to choose from on the flat screen TVs , but don’t expect Fox News. The hotel’s telephone greeting instructs the following: “If you watch Fox News, hang up and seek help now.” A similar message is displayed on the glass door leading to the lobby: “If You Are Racist, Sexist, Homophobic or an Asshole, Don’t Come In!”Are we clear? The gaythering begins around the first floor bar, coffee shop and library where guests are sure to encounter friendly and cute staff while

mingling with other patrons. “We want to engage in the neighborhood,” said Guerra, who added the hotel provides a virtual concierge service with staff recommendations for local dining and area attractions.

For culture vultures, the Miami Beach Convention Center, New World Symphony, Bass Museum of Art and Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theatre are all within easy walking distance of Hotel Gaythering. Guerra, who began his design career at the age of 14 doing faux finishing, has focused on the color red – for rabbits, bears and masked portraits. “Red is our color,” said Guerra in his Cuban dialect. “We did not want to do anything that was Miami.” The hotel’s library is a great place to take a shot of espresso and scan through big picture books, including cult classics such as “Tom of Finland” and the “Big Penis Book.” It’s co-ed in the spa area, where an aroma steam room, cedar sauna, hot tub and mud lounge await. Hotel Gaythering is now accepting online reservations visit their website at Gaythering.com and check it out. soflagaynews //

SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 2.19.14 //

news feature SFGN Honors Deidra Bergmann with 2013 ‘Achievement in Excellence’ Award John McDonald

jeanmichelmcdonald@gmail.com

Deidra Bergmann knows what her comamunity needs and works hard to provide it. An out and proud lesbian, Bergmann says there are many endearing qualities to her gay and lesbian friends. “We are very active people, proud people and educated people,” Bergmann said during a recent telephone interview with SFGN. “I’m proud LGBT people are moving towards a greater acceptance in the world and we should have equality.” Bergmann met her lifetime partner, Jodi Greenwald, under unusual — and painful — circumstances. Bergmann fell off a 15foot ladder, fractured her spine in several places and needed surgery. The ordeal got worse when, in the midst of physical therapy, Bergmann collapsed in the hospital and a code red respiratory failure was called, landing her in ICU for nine days. That’s when Jodi, a nurse, came into Bergmann’s life. “It was really romantic to get to know each other,” Bergmann recalls. “I was in a full body brace so there was no sex, which was great because we got to know each other and became friends first.” In her retirement from a career as a general surgeon for Broward County, Bergmann continues a hearty lifestyle. In the fall of 2009 she founded WINgrlz, a championship softball team in the South Florida Sports Foundation League. “Being a board member of Women in Network, I felt that forming a team was a good way to support our organization and provide a healthy activity and promote networking with other teams,” said Bergmann, who managed WINgrlz until her back injury sidelined her from the diamond in 2012. But even injury cannot stop Bergmann from caring, as displayed in her recent participation as a motorcycle escort for the SMART ride, a cycling event through the Florida Keys which raises money for HIV /AIDS groups. “Deidra is a force of nature,” said Kristofer Fegenbush, Pride Center Chief Operating Officer. Fegenbush gleefully recalls her level of commitment during the recent SMART ride, saying he still thinks of Bergmann “waving a flag — cheering on cyclist after cyclist by name, often with a humorous comment.” Fegenbush, who works closely with Bergmann on many causes and projects, said her motorcycling is an apt way of describing her role in the South Florida LGBT community. “She sits at the intersection of so many organizations, groups and events, invested

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deeply in relationships,” Fegenbush said. Currently, Bergmann holds board positions at SunServe and the Pet Project while serving as a director for Women in Network, one of the oldest lesbian organizations in Florida. A lover of pets, Bergmann has two cats and two dogs. The dogs, a Boston Terrier and a Boxer, are rescues. She also owns an Amazon Parrot. Pet Project, is a not-for-profit organization that provides assistance (food, vaccinations, etc.) for pets in low income households. Proceeds from Bergmann’s thrift shop, Hidden Treasure (2200 NW 9th Ave., Wilton Manors), go to fund Pet Project. Bergmann admits to having a certain skill in raising money for charity. “My favorite saying is ‘Please help me, help them,’” Bergmann says. “It is kind of my motto to help people. I have, with love, been called the Non-Profit Mafia. Usually when a business sees me coming for donations they just give it up to get me out of their establishment/ business. They know I will win.” Socially, when going out for fun on the island, Bergmann likes to frequent Rosie’s, 13Even and Rumors. Because of Bergmann’s ongoing commitment to charity, SFGN has named her the third recipient of its 2013 Achievement in Excellence awards. The other two named were Stuart Milk of the Harvey Milk Foundation and Terry DeCarlo of the Broward House.

letters to the editor

Furor Erupts Over Cathy Brennan and Gender Identity Watch Last week SFGN published “‘I am not a bigot’ Says Gender Identity Watch’s Cathy Brennan,” which was in response to a previous article “Should ‘Gender Identity Watch’ Be Labeled a Hate Group?” Both articles have received widespread praise and condemnation. The first published article lays out the case against Gender Identity Watch, while the second gave Brennan a chance to respond. The “I am not a bigot” article has received thousands of views, and hundreds of comments mostly from people upset that it portrays Brennan and GIW too favorably. Below we’ve taken some of those comments to share with you this week. I just read the SFGN article by John McDonald titled, “I am not a bigot Says Gender identity Watch’s Cathy Brennan” and as a trans woman, I feel that the article is extremely lacking. SFGN claims to be “a paper that pulls no punches, protects our friends, defends our allies, and defines our adversaries.” I think that you didn’t even swing this time. Once again it seems as if the T in LGBT was left dangling. The article speaks of “inappropriate and insensitive acts” from Brennan but it is never mentioned what those acts are or who they are against. “‘I am not a bigot nor a homophobe,’ Brennan said.” Correct, she’s not a homophobe, bur she is extremely transphobic. If the author had simply Googled Brennan he would have seen the hatred towards transgender women that she has displayed over the past few years. Cathy Brennan abuses transwomen through harassment and online attacks. This article mentions nothing of this, only briefly mentioning the trans community. At least the author did speak to Transadvocate to get some insight, but even then he uses one quote and doesn’t get to the heart of the issue. Some examples of her attacks on trans woman include: -Working WITH the Pacific Justice Institute (a known right wing, anti-gay activist organization) to keep a transgender teen girl from Colorado from being able to use the women’s restroom. She even outed the teen while the teen was being bullied and was put on suicide watch. -She threatened legal action against the magazine Jacobin for publishing an article by Samantha Allen that discussed the discrimination of transgender women by Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs). By not reporting the actual issues related to the trans community, you are actively contributing to trans-erasure. I ask of your author to please take this into consideration and revise the piece. Thank you for your time. Tina W. Of course Cathy Brennan doesn’t hate trans women. She just contacts their physicians to try to deny them medical care, contacts their workplace to get them fired, gives the name and address of a teenaged trans girl to a conservative antigay group that supports “reparative therapy” for LGBT people (Pacific Justice Institute), which leads to said teenaged girl being harassed to the point of being under a suicide watch. She threatens websites that post the truth about her actions with lawsuits, and posts names, old names, and addresses for transgender women online so that stalkers or others might be

able to more easily track them down. She is technically not a homophobe, because irrational hatred of and aversion to transgender women is not called “homophobia.” It is specifically called transmisogyny, and Catherine Brennan is an extremely prominent and active transmisogynist who does her level best to harm trans women specifically trans women. This isn’t a “feud.” This isn’t a situation where both sides have equal power and influence. Brennan uses her position to harass, out, and harm trans women, whereas the trans women she lashes out against rarely have the resources necessary to defend themselves. This is not a controversy, this is one aﬄuent cisgender white woman using her privilege and her power to harm an entire community while insisting that somehow we magically oppress her. Lisa Harney

Some have claimed that the article failed to adequately describe the issues. The piece is short an only briefly quotes the interview questions I answered. Missing from the SFGN piece is any historical context. For the sake of clarity, here are my complete answers to the SDGN’s interview questions: South Florida Gay News: What is your prior experience with Cathy Brennan and Gender Identity Watch? Cristan Williams: The historical TERF movement was directly involved in stripping access to psychological and medical care from the trans community in the 1980s. The term TERF (Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists) was popularized in 2008 by the non-transgender feminist community because these women felt as if their discourse was being colonized by an extremist faction. Feminist women began using this term as a way to distinguish the TERF rhetoric from larger feminist discourse. I encountered Brennan as being an opinion leader in the modern iteration of the TERF movement. I became aware of Brennan a few years ago as the power behind an effort to have trans people stripped of UN protections. The ideology promoted by Brennan’s group is featured in TERF conferences, meetings, lectures and direct actions across the globe. GIW calls itself a team, not a group. The GIW team promotes a world view in which trans people and protections are not only watched, but correlated with the suffering of cisgender women. Racist groups employ similar tactics by tracking improvements in racial equality while correlating gains in equality with perceived wrongs committed by groups they exist to oppress. For instance, here are a few posts from today’s GIW social media stream:

She hates an entire class of people, that’s what being a bigot is. She harasses transgender people, their doctors, employers, and families. She’s outed trans people over and again costing them their jobs. She’s an evil sack of crap, simple. And if she was so conformable with who she is then why does she always have to mention it? Jess Tea Cathy Brennan is not accused by random trans* activists of “inappropriate and insensitive acts.” She has a documented history of engaging in online harassment and frivolous litigation against transgender people and their supporters. She has threatened journalists with frivolous litigation, including the online magazine Jacobin for merely reporting on her antics. And she teamed up with the bigoted right-wing Pacific Justice Institute to harass transgender students in public schools, regardless of her official denials to mainstream sites like ThinkProgress. Cristan Williams at Transadvocate has screenshots of Gender Identity Watch’s tweets and Facebook updates where GIW speaks on behalf of PJI. This information ain’t exactly hard to find, a simple Google search could have turned this up. parkwood1920 Bigotry destroys basic human emotions like compassion, empathy and remorse towards a group of people. Cathy has none of these qualities towards trans women. Even after a trans teen was put on suicide watch her site still kept updating and included the teen’s full name. Miss Sudo Khaleesi soflagaynews //

Note that GIW features the talking points of a known ex-gay group and proudly attacks known trans activists. Brennan’s group asserts that the term TERF is a pejorative and rejects the idea that people are born with a subjective awareness of the body’s physical sex. Brennan’s brand of “feminism” promotes the notion that women can and probably should choose to become lesbians (the so-called political lesbian) and that people – like myself – who disagree with her are men’s rights activists (MRAs). Cristan Williams

SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 2.19.14 //

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Gay & Hungry

Nearly one-third of LGBT adults have a hard time feeding themselves and their families Sasha Razumikhin New research from the Williams Institute shows 2.4 million (29 percent of) LGBT adults experienced a time in the last year when they did not have enough money to feed themselves or their familes. The University of California, Los Angeles, think tank released its study, “Food Insecurity and SNAP (Food Stamps) Participation in LGBT Communities,” in early February. “These data provide the first opportunity to understand the extent to which LGBT people in the U.S. experience some aspects of food insecurity and use food stamps,” said demographer Gary J. Gates, who authored the study. “The farm bill Congress passed yesterday cut food stamps, and we now know that LGBT communities will be disproportionately affected by that legislation.” LGBT people experience disproportionate levels of food insecurity and higher participation rates in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (the food stamp program), especially those raising children, a risk that persists despite possible differences in demographic characteristics between LGBT and non-LGBT individuals

like gender, age, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment, according to the institute. For example, a release reads, “data suggest that same-sex couples raising children are approximately twice as likely to receive food stamps as different-sex couples with children.” What is “food insecurity”? According to the study, it’s “generally defined as having limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.”

The study reveals:

Notably, bisexuals along with LBT women and people of color are particularly vulnerable to high rates of food insecurity and SNAP participation. One in four bisexuals (25 percent) receive food stamps; 34 percent of LBT women were food insecure in the last year; and LGBT African Americans, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians experienced food insecurity in the last year at rates of 37 percent, 55 percent, and 78 percent respectively.

Here are some of its key findings:

• More than one in five LGB adults aged 18 to 44 used food stamps in the past year. • More than one in eight same-sex couples used food stamps in the past year. • More than one in four same-sex couples raising biological, adopted, or step children under age 18 used food stamps. • Rates of food insecurity are higher for LGBT adults when compared to heterosexual adults across several national surveys, and across gender, age, racial/ethnic, and education level groups.

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After taking these factors into account:

• LGBT adults are 1.7 times more likely than non-LGBT adults to not have had enough money to feed themselves or their family in the past year. • LGB adults aged 18 to 44 are 1.3 times more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to receive food stamps. • Same-sex couples are 1.7 times more likely than different-sex couples to receive food stamps. • LGB adults aged 18 to 44 raising children are 1.8 times more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to receive food stamps. • Same-sex couples raising biological, adopted, or step children under age 18 are 2.1 times more likely than comparable different-sex couples to receive food stamps. For more information, go to WilliamsInstitute.law.ucla.edu. SouthFloridaGayNews

news feature

Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Vladimir Putin David-Elijah Nahmod

Alwin van der Velden and Gustavo Pelogia admit that they won’t be visiting Russia anytime soon. The Amsterdam game developers, who are not gay, have created a new online game in which players can give Russian President Vladimir Putin a much needed makeover. Putin, currently hosting the Sochi games in Russia, has received worldwide condemnation for signing draconian laws, which make it a crime to “promote” homosexuality to children in Russia. The country has since seen a nationwide surge in anti-gay violence. “We decided to create a game after Putin made some ridiculous statements about gay rights and the spread of gay propaganda,” Pelogia told SFGN, speaking from the Dutch capital. “With this game we want to make use of humor to raise awareness of this subject.” The game, Putin Gay Dress Up, allows players to present images of Putin, which would no doubt make him cringe. “You can dress Putin up in all sorts of gayish clothing items,” Pelogia explained. “When you’re satisfied with the results, you can upload it to the public gallery. In two days, over 60,000 people have played the game and over 2,000 Putin creations have been uploaded to the gallery.” Images include the head of state sporting leather attire, in his underwear, and in drag. In Putin in Drag: What Transmisogyny Looks Like? posted at Transadvocate, Trans activist Cristan Williams questioned whether or not mocking Putin for looking female constituted transphobia. Comments to the post were divided, though a number of Transadvocate readers stated that the Dress Up game gives Putin a slap in the face by presenting him as something he hates. Pelogia reports that the feedback he’s gotten have been overwhelmingly positive. “The game has been picked up by numerous Russian websites, so lots of visitors keep coming in,” he said. “Yesterday our servers even broke down because of all this traffic. We think it is funny and hope that Putin isn’t offended too much. Maybe the gay rights discussions can pick up after he responds.” To play Putin Dress up, or to check out the hilarious gallery, please visit: PutinGayDressUp.com

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SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 2.19.14 //

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Ladies of the 80s to Rock Pride Fort Lauderdale 2014

Missing Gay Man’s Body Found Juan Ortega

Denise Royal

Sun Sentinel

A body found inside a Tallahassee building has been identified as Ryan Uhre, the Florida State University graduate from Weston who vanished earlier this month, police said Tuesday. Tallahassee police were recanvassing the downtown area Tuesday morning when they found Uhre’s body inside the building, police spokesman Dave Northway told the Tallahassee Democrat. “We have no suspicion of foul play at this point,” Northway said. “But we are keeping it open and active, and we will do everything we can in order to find the cause of death for Mr. Uhre.” Uhre had disappeared Feb. 2, Super Bowl Sunday, at Andrew’s Capital Grill and Bar in Tallahassee. He was reported missing on Feb. 7. Uhre’s family for weeks circulated fliers and canvassed areas across South Florida, appealing for information about Uhre’s location. There also was a strong outpouring of community support. Sunday, several hundred people gathered in Fort Lauderdale beach, bringing in prayers that Uhre would be found. Uhre, 23, graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School and attended St. Bonaventure Catholic Church in Davie.

Arrested!

Some of the biggest names in music from the 1980’s will be in Fort Lauderdale to celebrate Pride. Headliners include Sheena Easton, Lisa Lisa and Tiffany. The 37th annual Pride South Florida event takes place noon to 7 p.m., March 1 and 2 at Holiday Park, 1150 G. He was an intern for state Rep. Richard Harold Martin Drive Fort Stark, D- Weston, who issued a statement Lauderdale. This year Tuesday afternoon. “Ryan’s family, friends they’ve renamed the event and coworkers are in our thoughts and Pride Fort Lauderdale. prayers in this time of grief,” he said. Organizers anticipate He said he encourages “you all to keep a huge crowd. “We are Ryan’s family in your prayers.” expecting anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 people to be there,” said Marc Hansen of Pride South Florida. The weekend kicks off with a special comedy show on Friday February 28 starring Bruce Vilanch and Judy Gold. The show, called “Big and Tall,” takes place at Parker Playhouse. On Saturday, the entertainment kicks off at Holiday Park with actress/ stand-up comedian/love goddess Judy Tenuta. Shewas the very first stand up to win Best Female Comedian at the American The arrest affidavit accuses him of engaging in Comedy Awards. Tenuta this conduct over a sustained period of time, has starred in her own from February 3, 2010 to July 3 of 2012. HBO, Showtime, and Lifetime specials, and has been seen on every major talk show. Also on Saturday’s agenda, former teen sensation Tiffany, whose hits include “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “I Saw Him Standing There.” The fun doesn’t stop there. The Ms. Pride South Florida contest will be held once again in the War Memorial Auditorium. The preliminary rounds are will be held on Saturday and the finals take place on Sunday. Also on Sunday, freestyle sensation Lisa Lisa takes the stage. She is one of the biggest Freestyle artists of the 80s with hits that included “Head to Toe,” ‘Lost in Emotion” “I Wonder If I Take You Home” and “All Cried Out.” Then, headliner Sheena Easton will wow

Former owner of Copa busted for grand theft Jacob Long Gregg Evan Bernard, once the owner of the Copa Bar in Dania Beach was charged last Thursday with Grand Theft for allegedly unlawfully removing funds from the Marvilla Condominium Association’s bank account, by writing checks and conducting nonassociation debit card transactions, totaling the sum of $97,076.98. Bernard, a realtor, took part ownership of the Copa in 1995, purchasing it from then business partners John Castelli and the late William Bastiansen. In the 1970’s and 80’s, it was considered one of the most renowned gay bars in the United States. It was destroyed by Hurricane Wilma in October of 2005, and never reopened. Marvilla Condominiums is located at 2124 NE 5 Avenue in Wilton Manors. The illegal transactions Bernard allegedly engaged in included allocating association funds to cover personal obligations and individual needs.

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the crowd. She rose to fame in the 1980’s with hits like “Morning Train,” “For Your Eyes Only” and “Sugar Walls.” Easton remains the only recording artist to score Top-10 singles on the five major U.S. Billboard singles charts, including pop, country, dance, adult contemporary and R&B. It was a feat she accomplished amid recording multiple hits in the United States and the U.K., performing popular duets with Kenny Rogers and Prince. She’s sold 20 million albums worldwide. There will be non-stop entertainment including: The Ladies from Lipps, Church Holy Spirit of Song, Shadina, The South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble, Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus & other special Entertainment. “There will be lots of great festival food items and this year Pride South Florida has made sure that there will be new and healthier food options available to the attendees,” said Hansen. For folks visiting from out of town, the Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall, is offering a discount for shoppers. Event attendees can show their PrideFest admission ticket to receive a Sawgrass Mills Coupon Book at either Simon Guest Services location near Burlington Coat Factory or Bloomingdale’s – The Outlet Store. Special offers include: • $50 off of your purchase of $250 or more at Cole Haan Company Store • 15% off of your purchase of $120 or more at LACOSTE Outlet • 15% off of a single item at Hugo Boss • 10% off of your purchase of $100 or more at J.Crew Factory One day Tickets are $15; 2 day Tickets $25. Parking is included. Visit PrideSouthFlorida. org for more information.

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SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 2.19.14 //

Freeman’s Luggage

opinion

compass points

Celebrate Yourself at Pride! Julie Seaver

Operations Director for Compass

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Photo: Pridefest

This past year was truly a busy year for the LGBT rights movement and we refuse to slow down anytime soon. With the strike down of DOMA and more than a third of the nation’s states now having legalized gay marriage, PrideFest is a time of celebration, a family reunion of sorts, and a festival that raises awareness for our youth, our seniors, and everyone in between. Coming together to raise awareness for the LGBT community is a selfless act of love. Many of us grew up in conservative, quiet parts of the country, with no established LGBT community. Some of us wonder what our lives would have been like if we all had a safe space to be ourselves, flourish and grow. And each year at Pride, people just continue to inspire and amaze me. All ages come in masses just looking for a place to be themselves and be accepted for the awesome people they are.

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Pride is about standing up for others when, for whatever reason, they’re unable to stand up for themselves. It’s about giving hope for a better future for our youth and strength to those who are afraid to come out. Instilling a sense of pride in young people is the best investment our community can make. Pride is about accomplishing small goals all year long for the LGBT community with the hope that one day, we’ll all live in a much better place. We can plug into the energy of the larger community and re-energize ourselves knowing that we are a part of the movement. While South Florida anticipates the many upcoming pride festivals in March, we recognize that pride isn’t just a month, it’s a state of mind. It’s not a single event that becomes a success, but the collective will of many throughout the year to see our community thrive for many generations to come.

opinion the reily report

Censored by Facebook Ric Reily I ran into the censor. Of all the things I have thought of doing, tested the waters about and accomplished, being censored was not on the list. I was a censored virgin. Oddly, I never knew that and somehow now I feel violated. Syria had been in the news at the time. That despotic regime certainly looked to have the capability of using chemical weapons, though the rebels also appeared to have similar capability to be similarly barbaric. The Syrian situation became the focus of a blog entry as I sorted out my own feelings on the matter. When I find myself unable to define a particular position on a subject my recourse is writing. Writing, for me, is an exercise that serves to align thought in my mind. Though I am not always quick with words of wit, cutting sarcasm or soaring rhetoric I find it simple to sort ideas out through written words. We writers enjoy the 7 second delay of editing. Some of my mind ramblings end up under the delete button when I can’t get to a coherent thought expressible in succinct text. Some end up in the ideas file for later reconsideration and some of those spend a life sentence never again seeing the light of the monitor. On occasion I come up with a piece that speaks even to me. From the raw word dump to the screen, through editing, after uncountable rewrites and perhaps even an out loud reading to flush out lingering errors, some pieces stand out demanding exposure. Some demand to be shared and when they do, I do. Any of you who have been subjected to my unending stream of articles, blog posts, Facebook posts, emails, Tweets and other general ramblings know that. Mostly I do it for me and I am happy when anyone else enjoys this piece or that. Out of the soon to be censored work grew a blog entry titled Middle East indecisiveness. I actually found it rather informative and enjoyed writing it. In the end I found myself clear on why I had been unable to decide which side of the issue to take. Once the piece was rewritten, edited and finished I knew that I stood on the side of avoiding involvement. I posted the piece to my blog. As usual I posted a link from my blog to my Facebook wall to alert readers of the entry. As a teaser I copied in a sample — ‘Supporting one group of brutal killers to protect them from another

group of brutal killers leaves the mind stuck, indecisive. For in that indecisiveness resides the honesty of not wanting to act once again in the interest of others at the expense of ourselves.’ Facebook said “no thanks.” Actually Facebook said ‘this may not be posted to this wall,’ or something close to that. I tried it on my own wall instead of the news feed. Facebook didn’t like that either. Thinking it might be a computer problem I closed the browser and after reopening it and Facebook gave it another try with the same result. Being persistent I opened my laptop and attempted it again. Same result. Momentarily flummoxed, looking over my shoulder for the FBSP, I tried a different post. I wrote “hi” on my wall and Facebook liked that just fine. I posted the blog link only without the description and Facebook liked that just fine. I retried the blog link with the description to no avail. Of the offending text I presume that Facebook does not like the use of the term brutal killer. That or it doesn’t like the word honesty. Who knows? And in the end who cares because Facebook is a free service controlled by others. It would, however, be nice to at least be able to tell specifically what offends Facebook. Being a writer I can find another word that says the same thing; after all English is an enormous language. Ric Reily is the author of two books, “Money Is The Root Of All — Skip The Debt Habit,” and “Gregory’s Hero.” His firm CFO On Call provides small business finance and operations consulting. Ric is married to John, his partner of 26 years, and lives in South Florida with their Havanese dog, Buckley. You can reach Ric at RicReily@gmail.com

daniel.pye

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opinion publisher's editorial

Why Grindr Mattered

You don’t sacrifice someone’s life to protect someone else’s sexual identity Norm Kent

norm.kent@sfgn.com

The body of Ryan Uhre, a gay grad student from FSU, was found Tuesday morning on a rooftop near the campus. The worst fears are now a grim reality. A young man has been lost, and a promising life has been snuffed out. Last week, I editorialized that the refusal of close friends and his family made not to publicly discuss his sexuality may have compromised the efficiency of the investigation into his disappearance. You see, the last place Ryan was ‘seen’ was not just

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leaving a Super Bowl party at a sports bar in Tallahassee. The last place he was ‘seen’ was on Grindr an hour after he left that sports bar, chatting with friends. Ryan went on Grindr often, and to their credit, some of his hookups contacted the Tallahassee Police Department on their own, sharing their liaisons with him. One young man from Key West met Ryan on Grindr during one of his trips to FSU. Like others, he provided information to the police that he

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hoped would be useful. “I pray for him,” he had said. Ryan was drinking at the Super Bowl party that night, and has apparently gone on a few binges before, disappearing for a few days at a time. Family and friends had hoped against hope this was just another episode, and that he would turn up okay. But as hours passed into days and weeks, with no sign or use of cash, his credit cards, or bank accounts, hope had turned to fear. If it was a binge, it was not going to be a good one. In this loss, what I found troubling was the steadfast determination some friends had not to make Ryan’s semi-closeted sexuality an issue in the search. It most certainly was. SFGN did not seek to embarrass Ryan Uhre, his friends, or his family by demanding that the media release information about his personal life. We sought only to move them in a direction that might simultaneously help them find him sooner, while also potentially protecting gay men. As the police knew, the venues for gay men in Tallahassee are significantly less varied than straight bars for frat boys. Of course, we wanted to make sure they were looking in the right places. There is nothing shameful or embarrassing about an attractive young man finding a partner online and having a rendezvous, whether or not for sexual purposes. This is not only what gay men do, it is what straight men do also. Unfortunately, as I said last week, you hope for the best, but think the worst. It’s a cruel world we live in, populated by violent people who engage in vicious acts. It’s also a world of unforeseen fate, where a careless drunken driver can smother out a lifetime of dreams in one reckless moment. Or you can do yourself in by taking too many pills. Here, we don’t know anything yet. All we know thus far is that a young man’s body was found on a rooftop alone. It will be up to a medical examiner to determine the cause of death. We do know that Ryan left a straight sports bar at about 8:30 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday. An hour later he was chatting with someone on Grindr. So the gay community of Tallahassee, once alerted, could have helped in his search. He may not have been alone on that rooftop. Maybe he just finished a hook up. Worse, suppose a predator was out there targeting young gay men. Wouldn’t you want to share with the police someone you talked to who seemed suspicious that night or the past week? If the only information police released about this man was that he left a

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straight sports bar, drinking with straight frat brothers, and all the pictures showed him with beautiful girlfriends, the gay community would have been misled on one hand, and less cautious on the other. If it turns out Ryan met a homicidal end, do you think the killer talked to him alone that night, or wasn’t he more likely cruising other potential victims as well? The gay community needed to know about Ryan’s predispositions so they could proactively respond. If there is a predator out there, cruising a social app like Grindr, it is better we find out before there are more victims. You don’t sacrifice someone’s life to protect someone else’s sexual identity. Tallahassee police followed our suggestion to check out gay cruises where Internet access is often limited. A shout out and salute to their department is ever so appropriate. They were thoroughly exhaustive, consummately professional and entirely dedicated to finding this young man. Using helicopters and bloodhounds, social media and investigative sources, they blanketed the community with awareness. So too was that the purpose of SFGN. We are proud of our contribution, supported by national gay media sources like Queerty, which generously aided our effort. We extend our sad condolences to his friends and family at the tragic and disappointing outcome. However, if revealing this young man’s sexual identity was a necessary element in helping find him, then you do so, not only to save him, but also to protect others. The gay community has won many achievements these past few years, and we have become belatedly accepted by society. We are no longer apart from it. We are a part of it. We take the warts and the wounds, as well as the applause and accomplishments. Ryan Uhre though is lost forever, and right now, straight or gay just does not matter.

column bil of rights

Turning the Corner on Marriage Amendments Bil Browning

The tide has turned on marriage equality in the United States. From now on, activists will be fighting an offensive battle for civil rights; the days of defending against state-level constitutional amendments are over. For years, marriage equality activists mostly played defense against the slew of laws around the country aimed at outlawing same-sex marriage. While there would be an occasional win in the courts or legislatures, they were sporadic and the odds were stacked against us. Then, Edie Windsor took her case to the Supreme Court and won. Since that time, there have been twelve marriage rulings handed down in various courts and we have won every single case. Six other court cases have addressed other LGBT issues and activists won all six of those, as well. In case after case, conservative and liberal judges are acknowledging that bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional and other forms of LGBT discrimination are being scrutinized with a jaundiced eye.

Some state attorneys general are abandoning the defense of cases challenging existing amendments. Virginia, Nevada and Pennsylvania’s top solicitors have declined to justify discrimination. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring went so far as to join the court case, but on behalf of the plaintiffs and a federal court ruled last week that Virginia’s amendment is unconstitutional. The momentum has changed politically, too. Instead of considering it a win when a state votes down an amendment, states like Washington, Minnesota, Maine and Maryland are voting to legalize same-sex marriages. Even things that don’t appear to be a win just need a little context to see the progress we’ve made.

At first glance, this week’s vote in the Indiana General Assembly to approve a state constitutional amendment may look like a defeat, but since a change in the wording makes it ineligible to appear on the ballot this fall, activists can easily claim a solid win. What makes the situation in Indiana uniquely important is that it marks the last time activists will have to defend against mean-spirited attempts to outlaw marriage for gay and lesbian couples. It is a milestone in queer history. Hoosier activists also used a new technique to keep the amendment off the ballot. With the GOP holding super majorities in each chamber of the legislature, the campaign knew they had to target Republicans. They gathered together Fortune 500 companies, business organizations, and faith and civic leaders to shape a formidable coalition to oppose the amendment. It was led by a well-known Republican campaign manager, employed several Republican lobbyists, and flipped several Republican votes in both chambers. Since the Indiana legislature would need to revisit and pass the proposed amendment again for it to appear

on the ballot in 2016, there’s a good chance that a court case could make the issue moot by then. If not, religious right darling Governor Mike Pence has said he doesn’t want to share the ballot with an issue sure to bring out and energize progressive voters. Even the religious right is starting to shift strategies in the face of reality. Instead of aiming for blatant second-class citizen status, they’ve now started wrapping themselves in the mantle of “religious liberty” and are demanding the right to discriminate based on their religious beliefs. They’re giving up the civil arena in general to focus on seeking an exemption for themselves. As the polling numbers for marriage equality continue to rise quickly, court cases stack up, and former opponents from both sides of the aisle flip their positions on the issue, advocates can expect the winning streak to continue. It won’t be an easy slog, but victory is in sight. We’ve turned a corner in the fight for marriage equality nationwide, but let’s not get complacent. When you’re winning, you don’t let up — you push twice as hard to the finish line. Bil Browning is a long-time gay activist and writer. He is the founder and publisher of The Bilerico Project. Known for his political and social commentary, Bil does consulting work for political communications and new media projects.

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lifestyle gay car geek

60-Second Car Reviews

2015 Ford Fusion Energi — A fusion of gas and electric power in a dapper package Steve Siler I’m asked all the time about hybrids, and frankly, I find them hard to love (especially the Prius). Plug-ins, on the other hand, including the Chevy Volt and this car, the Ford Fusion Energi, actually work for me. Why? Because you can drive them around as electric cars for most of the day (up to 24 miles in the case of the Fusion Energi), and when the juice runs out, you continue on your merry way sipping gas. Range anxiety… what’s that? Seriously, plug-ins are the best of both worlds. The Fusion is the most normal feeling of all plug-ins, which should be reassuring to people who don’t dig the shape of the Volt. And it is effectively an all-electric car so long as there’s enough juice in the battery, with the gas engine kicking on only under hard acceleration. Steering and handling are largely unaffected by the more complex powertrain. The only driving weirdness — other than being in a big sedan that glides along more silently than your boyfriend after you missed your anniversary —is the braking, which is somewhat jerky as the brake energy regeneration system and conventional brakes attempt to work together to slow the car most efficiently. I do love, however, the virtual braking coach, which shows you what percentage of the brake energy you’ve recaptured after each stop. Cool. In most other respects, the Fusion Energi

is just like other Fusions, with the same sonof-Aston Martin styling, the same spacious and wellstyled interior, and the same bevy of high-tech equipment. What about plugging in? Well, the car comes with a thick wire that connects a port on the front right fender to the wall outlet — which wall outlet, exactly, is entirely up to you; I had to poach power from a nearby outlet in my condo complex for 2 of the 5 days I had the car. Charges can take anywhere from a couple of hours to overnight, depending on what strength of plug (110V or 220V) you have access to. Of note: if you purchase a plug-in or EV and live in an apartment building, the building is required by law to allow you to install car charging station — usually at your expense — in your parking spot. The cheapest Fusion Energi model is the SE, which comes reasonably well equipped for $39,495, which is nearly $15K more than the non-hybrid Fusion SE — no one said those batteries come cheap. My SE-grade tester came with about $5K worth of options like radar cruise, lane keeping assist, reverse sensors, navigation, and more, bloating the price to an eye-watering $44,620. That’s

BMW money, and for that, its leather should feel less vinyl-esque, and the wheels oughta look dressier. And then there’s the trunk, a huge portion of which is taken up by the big, heavy battery pack. With its 100 mpgequivalent fuel economy rating from the EPA (I averaged the low 80 mpg range since I didn’t plug in every night), the Fusion Energi is as efficient as it is pretty. And while it’s a little expensive, I wholeheartedly approve of the purchase for people who want an electric vehicle but don’t want the range anxiety that comes with it.

2015 Ford Mustang

Ford’s only product that’s like a horse I don’t know what you were thinking, but the word I was going to use is “named.” Ford’s noble steed just got way better for 2015, with its first all-new redesign in years. Smaller, lighter, and way

more fuel efficient, the new Stang is state of the art in ways you would never associate a muscle car to be. I predict this will be a real gay fave for 2015.

Renowned automotive journalist and gay car geek Steve Siler has turned his life-long love of cars into an enthusiastic career traveling the world to report on new automobiles as they are introduced. Siler pioneered automotive writing for the LGBT community in the late 1990s and is a regular contributor to Car and Driver Magazine, AutoTrader.com, AOL Autos, Yahoo! Autos, and the New York Daily News. You can follow his musings @silerroad on Twitter.

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lifestyle gay history This Week in Gay History February 19 – February 26 Quistapp.com

he Ariston Hotel Baths was raided by New York City Police, resulting in twelve men being charged with sodomy and receiving prison sentences.

Photo: tiki-toki.com

Feb. 19, 2007 — N.J. Civil Union Act Goes Into Effect

Feb. 23, 1990 — First Lesbian Org. for ChineseSpeaking Women in Asia

The New Jersey Legislature had passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to enter into A group of women form Women Chih civil unions on December 14, 2006 which was Chian (Women Among Us) in Taiwan. signed into law by the governor on December Feb. 24, 1995 — Greg 21, 2006. The act comes into effect on this day allowing the couples to register for the Louganis Announces He is partnerships. HIV Positive The Olympic medal-winning diver’s Feb. 20, 2004 — Sandoval announcement is televised.

County Issues Marriage Licenses to Gay Couples

Feb. 25, 1982 — First

The licenses are later nullified since they State Law Prohibiting Gay were illegally issued. This jurisdiction is one Discrimination of several to follow the lead of San Francisco Wisconsin becomes the first U.S. state to Mayor Gavin Newsom, who began issuing pass a law that prohibits discrimination on licenses on February 12, 2004. the basis of sexual orientation. No other state will take such measures for nine years.

Feb. 21, 1903 — First Recorded Police Raid on Gay Bathhouse

Feb. 26, 2013 — First Openly Gay Candidate in Mississippi Murdered

New York police raid the Ariston Hotel Baths and arrest twenty-six men. Twelve are Marco McMillian had been a promising brought to trial on sodomy charges; seven politician, running for mayor of Clarksdale, received sentences ranging from four to MS. He was 34 when he died. Lawrence Reed twenty years in prison. allegedly killed him, possibly in a panic after McMillian showed romantic interest in him.

Feb. 22, 2007 — Out Lesbian Elected in the Netherlands

All of the information above has been reprinted with permission from Quist, an Gerda Verburg becomes the Minister of LGBT mobile history app that can be found on Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in the iOS and Android devices. Visit QuistApp.com for more information. The app was created by Netherlands. Sarah Prager and launched in July of 2013.

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advertorial

At Poverello, Food is Medicine

During January 2014, Poverello served over 1,400 clients; more clients in one month than in its 25 year history. Poverello provided these clients with enough groceries to make a total of 135,954 meals and it is imperative that clients receive this food. Numerous effective drug treatments have been created to fight HIV disease. An all too often overlooked fact, however, is the necessity of proper nutrition for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). One report states: “Nutritional status is strongly predictive of survival and functional status among PLWHA. Clearly food is medicine.” On the other hand, lack of nutritious food has negative consequences for PLWHA, effecting immunological function, mental health, and adherence to medical treatments. Malnutrition is a leading cause of hospitalization or nursing home admittance nationwide. Food and nutrition services, which are what we provide at Poverello, are inexpensive treatments that address the root cause of institutionalization for PLWHA. According to a recent study, one can feed a person a home diet designed for a unique combination of illnesses for $20 per day; whereas hospital costs per day would amount to $4,000 or more. Another study showed the average costs of care for PLWHA in the six months following initiation of food and nutrition services dropped from $50,000 per month to about $17,000 per month. Therefore Poverello’s food and nutrition services are not only medicine; they are also cost effective.

Researchers also found that access to food improves other health outcomes for PLWHA including higher CD4 counts and a better probability of undetectable viral loads. And yet food insecurity remains, particularly widespread among Broward County PLWHA. At Poverello we seek to address food insecurity thereby improving health and decreasing the cost of treatment for HIV/AIDS. To learn more about Poverello’s services to Broward County’s HIV/AIDS community visit www.poverello.org. * Information sources HIV Health Reform www. hivhealthreform.org and LIFELONG AIDS Alliance. www.llaa.org. l

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advertorial

Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus Members Triumph at Carnegie Hall Premier work for men’s chorus presented Rest of season promises to dazzle

Members of the original Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus (FTLGMC) were thrilled to sing on January 19 at the one and only Carnegie Hall as part of a joint chorus in a concert entitled Of Life and Liberty. Members of the first gay men’s chorus in the state of Florida joined one of two combined choruses in a concert presented on the weekend of the holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. The event was under the auspices of Distinguished Concerts International New York (“DCINY”), which has been presenting concerts at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center for several years. The concert consisted of two acts, each performed by a different joint chorus. The Fort Lauderdale group sang in the chorus of the first-act program, which began with The Gettysburg Address, Lincoln’s famous text, in the world premier of this setting for men’s chorus by composer Mark Hayes. The rest of the act was the well-known Testament of Freedom, a musical setting in four movements by Randall Thompson of several texts by Thomas Jefferson. The Fort Lauderdale men were thrilled to sing under the direction of the DCINY Debut Conductor Matt Oltman, music director emeritus of the Grammy awardwinning male a cappella singing group, Chanticleer. He is also the current artistic director of the Empire City Men’s Chorus in New York City, and serves on the program development staff of DCINY. FTLGMC members joined members of several other choruses from the United States and Canada in this inspiring concert. Choruses comprising the first-

act chorus came from Minnesota, Illinois, Idaho, Indiana, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Alberta (Canada). The FTLGMC contingent was the only group invited to join in this concert without an audition. Dr. Gary Keating, founder and current director of this historic and ground-breaking chorus, was delighted to accept the invitation on its behalf. Singing at Carnegie Hall has inspired the Chorus to surpass its already justly famous shows at its own venue here in Fort Lauderdale. Determined to top its enthusiastically received holiday show, the Chorus is moving on to its spring show, Totally Awesome, a tribute to the music of the 80s. This will take place March 21 and 22 at 8 pm at the Horvitz Auditorium of the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, a superb acoustical space and an ideal venue for audiences to enjoy the Chorus’s special magic. Totally Awesome will include numbers from Culture Club, Duran Duran, Billy Joel, Dolly Parton, Madonna, Michael Jackson, as well as others, along with Broadway numbers from the period. There will also be some surprise appearances of some renowned and beloved musical idols--at least the Chorus’s version of them. And, to add to the fun, the Chorus is encouraging audience members to come in 80s garb (not required!), with a prizes given out to the best get-ups. So join the girls who just wanna have fun and come to this totally awesome show! Information on chorus events and on joining the chorus can be found at www. theftlgmc.org, or by calling 954-832-0060. l

No cheesy taglines, just results.

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I’m not really a foodie. I don’t know the difference between wines and I couldn’t tell you if the spice is basil or coriander, but I know what I like. Not all of us are five-star chefs or can afford to dine at some expensive restaurant, so when my partner and I decide to go out for dinner, we’re generally thinking about our tastes and what we enjoy. This week, we were in the mood for good Asian food on our weekly date night, so a friend recommended Lemongrass Asian Bistro. I’m very thankful we listened to him! Lemongrass Bistro is a fusion of Thai, Vietnamese and Sushi. We were seated right away and noticed how great the food smelled through the entire restaurant. As we waited for our drinks to arrive, we commented on how clean and modern the restaurant looked. The décor is Asian influenced, with dark Bamboo and Asian artwork on the walls. It’s well lit and the music is low enough so you can enjoy a good conversation. We really enjoy a good pad Thai noodle dish, but we’re watching our weight, so we opted for other choices. For an appetizer, Ken ordered the edamame ($5), and I had a ginger salad (comes with your entrée), which was very fresh and the ginger dressing was some of the best I’ve had. Ken’s favorite Asian soup is the Tom Kha soup ($5), which is a coconut-based soup, served with chicken or shrimp, mushrooms, scallions, and what else… Lemongrass! We’ve been to every restaurant in town that serves this soup. After the first couple of spoonfuls, it was clear – we have a winner! He declared Lemongrass’ Tom Kha soup the best in Fort Lauderdale. We decided to select a few appetizers and

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split an entrée. We chose the Curry Puffs ($7), which are fried wontons with chicken curry filling. They were delicious! We also ordered the chicken satay skewers ($7), which were served with a cucumber oil sauce and a peanut pad Thai sauce, which was also yummy! For our main entrée, we chose their red curry ($14), which has a red curry paste, coconut milk, sweet peas, bamboo shoots, sweet basil, zucchini and bell peppers with a side of your choice of fried or white rice. The smell of the curry was mouth-watering. As we ate, we kept on commenting on how this is so much better than our “usual” Asian restaurant and that we’d definitely be back. I am not a fan of coconut, but his soup, as well as our curry, was not overwhelming in coconut flavor, which was very appetizing. Ken always comments on how good the service is by how empty his water glass gets. No worries there. The servers kept our glasses full and by the end of our delicious meal, so were our tummies. I now know why Yelp! reviewers give the Lemongrass Asian Bistro four out of five stars, and Urban Spoon reviewers have given it four and a half stars. The Sun Sentinel has chosen Lemongrass Bistro as one of the top 10 Asian restaurants in Fort Lauderdale and the Palm Beach Post gave it an ‘A’ for excellence. So rather than sticking to your “usual” Asian restaurant when you go out for date night, try the Lemongrass Asian Bistro for great service and a dynamite meal. As we walked out, we said to the hostess, “We’ll be back!” The Lemongrass Asian Bistro is located at 3811 N. Federal Hwy in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954.564.4422 for reservations. For more information, visit LemongrassAsianBistro.com.

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F O R

T H E

J.W. Arnold

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jw@prdconline.com

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2/20

We loved her on “Smash” and “Sean Saves the World” and tonight at 8 p.m., blonde bombshell Megan Hilty joins Sirius XM Radio star and pianist Seth Rudetsky to shoot the breeze, dish the dirt and raise the roof performing a host of classic Broadway songs at the Parker Playhouse, 707 NE 8th Street in Fort Lauderdale. Don’t miss the second installment in the WinterStage series, produced by local playwright Matthew Lombardo (“Looped,” “High”) at Fort Lauderdale’s historic theater venue. Tickets are $51.50 – $126.50 at ParkerPlayhouse.org.

FRI ART

2/21

Tonight is the monthly Island City Art Walk and boutiques and galleries along Wilton Drive will be hosting open houses and artists’ receptions from 7 – 10 p.m. While strolling the drive, be sure to stop by Art Frenzie, 2151 Wilton Dr., and meet painter Thomas Acevedo. In addition to a collection of the artist’s powerful male nude acrylic paintings on display, giclee prints and originals will also be on sale. For more information about the monthly art walk, go to IslandCityArtWalk.com. Learn more about Thomas Acevedo’s works at Facebook.com/ArtFrenzie.

FRI

DANCE

Photo Courtesy of Jeremy Daniel

2/21 SAT

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, beloved as one of the world’s most popular dance companies, returns to the Arsht Center, Feb. 20 – 23, as part of a 24-city United States tour. In his third season as Artistic Director, Miami’s own Robert Battle continues to expand the company’s diverse repertory with premieres from a wide range of important choreographers, including the storyteller Ronald K. Brown and Broadway legend Bill T. Jones, but the highlight of his homecoming performances will be the company founder’s own masterpiece, “Revelations.” Tickets are $25 – 125 at ArshtCenter.org.

he 2010 Tony Award winning Best Musical, “Memphis,” brings the rocking sounds of the 1950s to Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center through March 9.

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THEATER

2/22 SUN

This weekend is your last chance to catch the critically acclaimed production of Deborah Zoe Laufer’s The Last Schwartz, presented by Parade Productions at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center’s Studio Theater, 201 Plaza Real in Boca Raton. Laufer’s award winning play chronicles the funny, surprising and ultimately moving story of a family at a key turning point in their history and stars Ken Clement, Kim Ostrenko, Betsy Graver and Mark Della Ventura. Thursday – Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., through Feb. 23. Tickets are $35-40 at ParadeProductions. org. soflagaynews //

THEATER

2/23 TUE

One of the breakout hits of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart,” comes to Miami at Bar 377 (formerly PAX Bar), SW 8th Street in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood. Welcome to the new world of immersive theatre, where the lines between the audience and the performers are blurred, as Prudencia Hart dances with the devil. Presented by the National Theatre of Scotland and Miami Dade College’s MDC Live Arts, Thursday – Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m., through Feb. 23. Tickets $30 at MDCLiveArts.org.

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THEATER

2/25

Turn up that dial! From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, to Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center comes the hot Broadway musical, “Memphis,” bursting off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love. Inspired by actual events, “Memphis” tells the story of a radio disc jockey who wants to change the world and a club singer who is ready for her big break. Tuesday – Sunday through March 9, tickets $34.50 – 79.50. For tickets and show times, go to BrowardCenter.org.

WIN YOUR OWN MEDAL in 2014! Register NOW! SAVE $30 on general regstration by 28 February (general registration discount code*: SFGN. Must be used at checkout.)

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GAMES. 9 -1 6 AU G U ST 2 0 1 4 35+ sports & cultural events Plus festivals, ceremonies performances, parties and more

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a&e film

Miami International Film Festival Kicks Off with a Legend Gary M. Kramer

The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), unspooling March 7-16 at various theaters, offers moviegoers the opportunity to screen several LGBT shorts, features, and documentaries. The festival also includes a tribute to actor-director John Turturro, who will receive the festival’s Career Achievement Award after a screening of his latest film, “Fading Gigolo.” (March 9, 7:00 pm, at the Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center). MIFF’s opening night selection stars the legendary Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer as the title characters in “Elsa & Fred.” (March 7, 7:00 pm at the Olympia

Theater). This comedy-drama is the American remake of a popular 2005 Argentina/Spain co-production about two octogenarian neighbors who develop a relationship that just might be love. However, more adventurous cinephiles may want to check out the queer Brazilian film, “Tattoo” at the Coral Gables Cinema that same night at 7 p.m. (“Tattoo” has encore presentations March 9 at 2 p.m at the O Cinema, and March 16 at 1:15 p.m. at the Paragon Grove). Written and directed by Hilton Lacerda, this period film, set in 1976, features a theater troupe headed by Clécio Submitted Photo

White Out the New World Symphony Joshua Gersen, conductor Laura of Miami, DJ FEB 21 @ 9:00 PM New World Center www.nws.edu/pulse 34

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(Irandhir Santos), a charismatic gay man who uses mockery as a weapon. Clécio and his cast — which include the flamboyant Paulete (Rodrigo García) — perform catchy songs, like one on butts (complete with a chorus line of naked examples), which catches the attention of the censors. A subplot involves Arlindo (Jesuita Barbosa), a young soldier, being taunted in the barracks and accused of being “a fag.” Arlindo is Paulete’s brother in law, and when he attends a show at the nightclub, he hears Clécio sing and falls under his spell. A sequence in which the two men dance, kiss, and make passionate love is undeniably erotic, and the highlight of “Tattoo.” Lacerda focuses more on atmosphere and attitude than he does on plot. The film offers some minor interpersonal drama when Clécio gets jealous of Arlindo coupling up with another guy, or when Clécio gives Paulete a reality check. But mostly “Tattoo” celebrates the freedom of performance and selfexpression, especially in the face of adversity. Another film depicting artists seeking freedom is the Italian dramady, “Those Happy Years” (March 9, 1 p.m., Regal South Beach; March 16, 2:15 p.m., Paragon Grove). Set in 1974, Guido (Kim Rossi Stuart) is a Roman artist whose nude painting performance piece gets lousy reviews, sending him into a funk. His wife Serena (Micaela Ramazzotti) is frustrated by his selfish behavior, and suspects he is having an affair with his models (which he is). When Guido’s friend Helke (Martina Gedeck) invites Serena to a French feminist commune, Serena reluctantly agrees. But once there, she enjoys a sense of freedom for the first time in her life. Serena skips having a breakdown, and instead has a breakthrough, beginning a passionate affair with Helke. “Those Happy Years” is an engaging, beautifully filmed and acted drama about finding one’s self, and discovering what is important in one’s life. That the story is told from the couple’s oldest son’s perspective (looking back on “those

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happy years”) adds a layer of poignancy to the film. A short queer film of note is out writer/ director Rodrigo Bellott’s short film, “Unicorn.” (Part of the Papi Shorts Program II, March 9, 7:15 pm, Regal South Beach) This thirty-minute drama, inspired by a true story, opens with a Bolivian Bold News report about Isaac (Douglas Porter), a distractingly handsome twenty-something Mennonite who was held captive in a box by his parents for various transgressions. Isaac works on a farm, but he is not connected to his community. He plans to escape, and not just because he longs for an attractive guy (Eric Robles) he spies in town. Tender, poetic and mostly wordless— Isaac does not speak Spanish—Bellott sensitively tells this short story though Isaac’s expressions and experiences. There is some palpable sexual tension between him and Robles, too. Most significant, though is how Bellott contrasts the expectations each young man’s family makes on them—which is what drives them to keep their sexuality a secret. Secretive sex is also part of “Young & Beautiful,” (March 9, 6:30 p.m., Regal South Beach; March 16, 6:45 p.m., Regal South Beach), the latest film from prolific out filmmaker François Ozon. This exquisitely filmed drama chronicles a year in the life of seventeen year-old Isabelle (Marine Vacth) after she loses her virginity at the beach one summer. Returning to high school in Paris, Isabelle works as a prostitute on the sly. “Young & Beautiful” is hypnotic because Ozon maintains a cool, detached perspective towards Isabelle’s activities, which become increasing more complicated and dangerous. Why Isabelle behaves so provocatively is at the heart—and the mystery—of the film. Vacth gives an incredibly assured performance, and her body language is particularly terrific. Ozon films both her and her story beautifully. For tickets and more information, visit MiamiFilmFestival.com.

a&e music

Singer Brings Autobiographical Show to Aventura J.W. Arnold

Sam Harris captured the heart of America 30 years ago. Dressed in a baggy hobo suit and topped with curly blonde locks, the young singer took the world of showbiz by storm, singing of a magical world, “somewhere over a rainbow” and winning the first “Star Search” title in 1984. Today, he is a star of Broadway and television and has dozens of hit songs to his credit. And he still attributes his success to his “blind optimism.” Harris left Oklahoma at the age of 15 and earned his high school diploma by correspondence in order to pursue his dreams. The aspiring singer was “schlepping around playing in dumps and dives” when a scout for a new TV talent competition discovered him. “I was in a room in Hollywood with nine or 10 people. It was so small, I sang in the doorway with the piano in the other room,” he recalled. At first, he was considered “too theatrical” for the show, but producers reconsidered. The rest was history. “It snowballed and turned into something that was giant. Fame kissed me and stuck his tongue down my throat,” Harris said with a chuckle. Indeed. Blind optimism or not, the path to stardom wasn’t easy, though, for the young man was told by his father at the age of five that “life was a bowl of shit” and later attempted suicide. Always challenging himself creatively, Harris most recently turned to writing. “I love whatever I’m doing at the moment. I’m one of those guys who jumps in with both feet. When I’m doing a Broadway show, I still get a thrill walking through a stage door. I also love doing a TV series and not singing. This newest thing, I’ve written this book, is something that I’ve really loved. You have to tear me away from the keyboard when I’m writing,” he says. Titled, “Ham: Slices of a Life,” the semiautobiographical book is a collection of essays and observations, not necessarily told in chronological order. He describes growing up in rural Oklahoma in the buckle of the Bible Belt, a mystical gay kid who dreamed of performing, his complicated relationship with his father and humorous moments from his career, including an episode at Liza Minnelli’s ill-advised wedding to “the man whose name shall go unmentioned.” He also touches on his biggest role, yet — father — contemplating the incredible changes to his life after he and his partner of more than 20 years adopted a son. “(Fatherhood) informs everything I do, he is the priority of my everything. If you’re a good

parent, it’s your priority, forces you to be the best person when you’re with them or not,” Harris explained. “My life has been about me for a very long time, but there’s no room for a star in the family.” Not surprisingly, the book soon took on a life of its own, as Harris built a stage show around the stories in “Ham.” But Harris warns, it’s not like most one-man shows. Audiences should not expect a story and then a song. Instead, the songs emerge from within the stories, what he calls a “play with music.” But, when Harris plays a role, he’s interpreting the words and experiences of others. In his show, “there’s no wall, there’s still a persona in the middle, there is truth.” As the performer looks back at his career and life, the blind optimist still prevails: “There were no role models, not an actor, a politician, an athlete, anyone who was open and comfortably gay as a person. It seemed impossible. To not only have been alive at this time, but to be a part of it politically and have this life and this extraordinary child is something I could never have imagined. What an amazing time, it’s an extraordinary blessing”

What Where When More Info.

Sam Harris “Ham: Slices of a Life” Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 144 St. Thursday, Feb. 20, 8 p.m. Tickets $39.50 at AventuraCenter.org

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a&e theater

‘Other Desert Cities’ at the Maltz Donald Cavanaugh

The Tony-nominated drama, “Other Desert Cities,” will open at the Maltz-Jupiter Theatre on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through the Sunday, Mar. 2 matinee at 2 p.m. “Other Desert Cities” is the story of a writer who, after six years away, rejoins her family for Christmas in Palm Springs. When she announces that she is about to publish a memoir with details about a difficult past incident that the family wants to keep buried, much family drama ensues. Peter Flynn, who won Carbonell Awards for Best Director and Best Musical for his direction in the Maltz’s production of “Man of LaMancha” will direct the production of this highly acclaimed Jon Robin Baitz play. “We are so excited to welcome Peter Flynn back to the Maltz Jupiter Theatre,” said Andrew Kato, the Theatre’s producing artistic director. “Our audiences are still talking about ‘Man of LaMancha.’ He has an innate talent for bringing out the truth of a story and keeping audiences on the edge of their seats.” “At its core, this is a story about a troubled family struggling to reconcile their past,” said Flynn. “There is anger and regret, but there is also a great love for one another – which is what makes the stakes so high. The heart of the play lives in something the son says: ‘On your last day on this planet… all what will have mattered is how you loved.’” The play, by Pulitzer Prize nominee Jon Robin Baitz, premiered at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre at Lincoln Center Theater in Jan. 2011 where it was named the Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play by the Outer Critics Circle. It closed at the end of February having completed a limited engagement run. It moved to Broadway at the Booth Theater in Nov. 2011, marking the playwright’s debut on Broadway. The New York Times called it the “best new play on Broadway 2011.” Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello, Baitz’s former romantic partner, directed

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both productions and the Broadway show received five Tony Award nominations for 2012 including Best Play. Actress Judith Light won for Best Featured Actress in a Play. The play was also a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Maltz production stars celebrated South Florida actors Cliff Burgess, a recent Carbonell Award nominee, as the brother Trip; Carbonell winner Angie Radosh as the mother’s alcoholic sister Silda, and Andrea Conte as the daughter Brooke.

Susan Cella, whose Broadway credits include “The Graduate,” “Crazy He Calls Me,” “Me and My Girl” and “Evita” will portray the role of the matriarch Polly, and Richard Kline, known for his role as Larry Dallas on the sitcom “Three’s Company,” in addition to regional and Broadway credits that include the Wizard in the first national tour of “Wicked,” will portray the father Lyman. Tickets for “Other Desert Cities” start at $52 and may be purchased by calling (561) 575-2223 or visiting www.jupitertheatre.org/ shows/otherdesertcities. Please note that performances contain strong language and may not be suitable for children.

a&e music

WINNER!

Founder of POZ Magazine, Sean Strub, Speaks to Stonewall Museum

BEST MUSICAL

A politician, an activist, a journalist, an author, a survivor. Is there anything Sean Strub hasn’t done? The founder of POZ magazine, the first openly HIV positive person to ever run for Congress, and a whole resume of more accomplishments, Strub spoke at the Stonewall National Museum & Archives last week about his book “Body Counts: A Memoir of Politics, Sex, AIDS, and Survival.” Strub’s story begins in his hometown of Iowa City, Iowa, where the youngster was surrounded by the student demonstrations at the University of Iowa. He witnesses the cry for black power, women’s liberation, and a plea to end the war in Vietnam. It also opened his eyes to his own sexuality. “I started to become aware of gay people, and I do remember when I’d see posters for the gay people’s union at the University of Iowa,” he said. When he was 16, he parked his car across from their meeting and watched members walk in and out of the church, seeing “live homosexual people,” people who were like him. Living near a politically active university, Strub became engrossed in politics in the summer of 1975 when Democratic candidates were crisscrossing the state. As a page in the state legislature, he drove them around the area. He met Iowa Sen. Dick Clark, who got him a job to run the senators-only elevator at the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. — every day, he was surrounded by policymakers. “I saw the process up close and for a political junkies, it was like a contact high every day,” he said. “I thought, at 17 years old, I had the greatest job in the world.” In 1976, the country was celebrating its bicentennial, a time of rebirth for the country with the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War behind it. For Strub, he was also coming to grips with his attraction to men and feeling that it would be impossible to be gay and a politician. Even so, Strub started hitting the nightlife scene and discovered the gay newspaper, The Washington Blade, where he was astonished that people in the paper were openly gay and used their real names. Searching for a place where he could be open as well, he moved to New York City in 1979 after coming out to his parents.

When he first moved to the city, he had an awakening after leaving Studio 54 with a friend, cutting through Central Park at 6 a.m., and for the first time, he held hands with a man in public. “It felt so daring and so exciting and liberating,” Strub said. “I knew I had to live in that city, and that city would be a central part of my life for the rest of my life.” The city would also become the center of the AIDS epidemic. In the first news story about the mysterious disease, Strub, then 23, read about three symptoms he was experiencing: weight loss, night sweats, and swollen lymph nodes. Then, in 1985, when he got sick over Labor Day weekend and there was finally a test — but still no treatment — the doctor had tears in his eyes when he told Strub he had two years at most to live. “Most people didn’t take the test because if you had it, there was nothing you could do about it,” he said. Strub sold his home in the city and bought a weekend house in Bucks County, Penn. and prepared for death. Then he discovered the People With AIDS Coalition, a group of people who were not sitting idly by waiting to die, but instead called for action. Then, he joined ACT UP and participated in the famed movement where they put a 35foot canvas condom on the home of North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms, who was opposed to government funding of AIDS research and treatment. “We were going to more funerals and memorials than birthday parties,” Strub said. “We felt we were being allowed to die.” In 1990, Strub became the first openly HIV positive person to run for Congress. He then founded POZ magazine in 1994 and also produced “The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me.” In 1996, when a treatment therapy was finally available, he jumped back from near death and has since been a huge advocate for HIV patients and a litany of other causes. “Those years showed the very best face of the LGBT community. It showed an incredible outpouring of love and mutual support and a transcendent of things that had divided this community with the broader society,” he said. Visit StonewallNationalMuseum.org for more information about the museum or SeanStrub.com for more information about Sean Strub.

PHOTO BY KYLE FROMAN

Christiana Lilly

NOW ON SALE! Tickets start at $34.50 February 25 - March 9 BrowardCenter.org or 954-462-0222 Groups of 10+ Save!

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a&e theater

Miami City Ballet Triumphs with Theatrical West Side

iami City Ballet dancers sing and dance to Jerome Robbins’ “West Side Story Suite,” based on the awardwinning choreography of the Broadway musical and film.

J.W. Arnold

Last year, when she announced the 201314 season, Miami City Ballet Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez promised she would challenge her dancers in ways they had never imagined. Challenging new works have consistently peppered her programs, but this Saturday in Program III: Triple Threat, her company not only danced, but provided audiences with a thrilling theatrical experience that included acting and singing. Jerome Robbins’ “West Side Story Suite” is an extended ballet based on his Tony Award-winning choreography for the iconic

1957 Broadway musical about rival gangs in Manhattan. Retaining Leonard Bernstein’s signature melodies, the basic plot and lyrics from Stephen Sondheim, this 40-minute work is a “Cliff’s Notes” version of the classic. The forlorn lovers, Tony (Jovani Fulan, in this performance) and Maria (Emily Bromberg, in this performance), are there, along with the Jets and the Sharks, setting the tension in the “Prologue” and exploding in Latin rhythms to “Mambo” at the dance in the school gym. But, it is Jets leader Riff (Jeremy Cox, who capably sings “Cool”) and Sharks boss Bernardo (Reyneris Reyes) who dominate Robbins’ fiery choreography, leaping and turning effortlessly from one meticulously Multi-talented, Saucy staged gang brawl to another. And Sara Estey, in this performance as Nashville Singer/Songwriter Bernardo’s girlfriend Anita (the role made famous on Broadway by Chita Rivera, who visited Miami City Ballet last fall), steals the show, sassily leading the “Puerto Rican” girls Wednesday, March 12 @ 7:30 & 9:30 pm in “America,” and eliciting cheers from the Performance in the Intimate Stage West Theatre audience. In every way, the performance was outstanding, concluding with a touching moment as all the dancers gather on stage to sing the hopeful, final words of “Somewhere,” in four-part harmony. While West Side Story Suite offered new challenges for the dancers, in the case of Balanchine’s “Episodes,” the opening ballet proved to be an unexpected challenge for the Featured on the audience. Sundance Channel “Episodes,” a company premiere, is set Reality TV series to the atonal music of serialist composer Girls Who Like Anton Webern, a member of a small school of early 20th century Viennese composers Boys Who Like Boys who responded drastically to the indulgent romanticism of the previous generation. These composers reduced traditional melodies and harmonies to mathematically computed sequences of tones that would sound like musical gibberish to the uninitiated. Balanchine recognized the logical approach to the Webern works and choreographed an equally systemic series of movements that repeated and evolved as the music moved to each permutation. Simple costumes of black and white leotards and tights accentuate the harmonic coldness of the music and In addition to her Country hits – Lucky In Love, One Solitary the almost mechanical movements of the Tear and Never Been Kissed she’s written hit songs for Tim dancers. McGraw, Blake Shelton, Trace Adkins and George Strait Maya Collins and Chase Swatosh shined in a pas de deux set to the Five Pieces, Op. 10. Seemingly finding their balance on a www.duncantheatre.org | Box Office 561.868.3309 constantly moving high wire, they physically reinforced the lack of a tonal or metrical foundation to the music. LAKE WORTH Neil Marshall, dressed in simple white 4200 Congress Avenue (I-95 Exit #63, west 1 mile) leotard and tights, offered a solo to Variations,

Sherrié Austin in concert

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Op 30, eliciting the struggle of life emerging from the primordial soup of Webern’s music, which seemed to seek order from chaos. Ironically, “Episodes” suitably concludes with Webern’s interpretation of Bach’s Ricercata in Six Voices from “A Musical Offering.” The contrapuntal approach of the Baroque composer was his generation’s answer to Webern’s attempt to systematically control every nuance of his music and Balanchine’s choreography brings the conceptual nature of the ballet full circle with a large ensemble divided into smaller groups, each dancing to one of the musical lines weaved throughout the work. The Opus One Orchestra, under the baton of Gary Sheldon, deserves congratulations for such an evocative performance of perhaps the most technically difficult work they will tackle this season — or perhaps any other. The “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux,” set to long forgotten music from “Swan Lake,” is not great music and there’s little question why it was omitted from the original production. But, after 40-minutes of atonal serialism, its lilting, however trite, melodies and traditional dance tempi were welcomed by the audience. While Tchaikovsky’s music is certainly not remarkable, it’s Balanchine’s beautiful choreography, arguably among his best, that makes this pas de deux so remarkable. Together, the ballerino and ballerina, danced with gusto tonight by Renato Penteado and Mary Carmen Catoya, engage in a series of innovative lifts and spins that cement the movement’s place in the repertoire.

What When More Info.

Miami City Ballet Program III: Triple Threat Feb. 21 – 23, Broward Center Feb. 28 – March 2, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach Tickets at MiamiCityBallet.org

South Florida Symphony Orchestra

Tropical Beats

Tantalizing Musical Excursions

Cello Cello Spirit Spirit February 24 6:30–8:30pm

Dinner & Recital Catered by

At the picturesque penthouse of Dr. Peter Genovese & Richard Sargeant. Corinthian Condominiums Fort Lauderdale Arthur Cook, SFSO’s Principal Cello and member of the Blue Door String Quartet performs the sensuous music of Bach & Kodaly.

Tickets: $75 per person southfloridasymphony.org or call 954-522-8445

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heater

stranded in a rowdy bar during a snowstorm. Tickets $30. Call 305-237-3010 or visit MDCLiveArts.org.

Ham: Slices of a Life

Datebook

Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. A night with singer, songwriter, and Broadway actor Sam Harris. Tickets $39.50. Call 305-466-8002 or visit AventuraCenter.org.

Christiana Lilly, Calendar@SFGN.com

* Denotes New Listing

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Broward County

Feb. 20 to 23 at the Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Miami’s own Robert Battle leads the New York dance company through a breathtaking performance. Tickets $25 to $120. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.

Trisha Yearwood

Feb. 19 at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. A night with the country music superstar. Tickets $42 to $200. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

Chippendales

Salon Concert with Opera Star Leona Mitchell

Feb. 20 to March 22 at Mansion Nightclub, 1235 Washington Ave. in Miami Beach. Watch the legendary hunks perform in a five-week extension after sold off shows and raving reviews. Tickets $49.95. Visit Chippendales.com.

Feb. 20 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the NSU Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, One E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Mitchell has captured American opera enthusiasts since her debut in “Carmen” in 1975. Tickets $45. Call 954-709-7447 or visit VenetianArtsSociety.org.

Soulfrito

Feb. 22 at Sun Life Stadium, 2269 NE 199th St. in Miami Gardens. The urban musical festival returns with headliners Nas and Don Omar. Tickets $59 to $129. Visit Soulfrito.com

Megan Hilty with Seth Rudetsky

Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. at the Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. Hilty of “Smash” and “Wicked” and Broadway pianist Rudetsky. Tickets $31.50 to $126.50. Call 954-462-0222 or visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.

Miami City Ballet: Triple Threat

Feb. 21 to 23 at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Performances of Balanchine/ Webern, Tchaikovsky, and West Side Story. Tickets $20 to $175. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

* An Intimate Evening with Art Garfunkel

Feb 21 at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Music with his singing partner Paul Simon as well as his own music. Tickets $49.50 to $75. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

* The Fab Faux

Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. at the Parker Playhouse, 707 NE Eighth St. in Fort Lauderdale. Known as the best Beatles tribute band in the world, the group performs the Fab Four’s greatest hits. Tickets $42.93 to $128.79. Call 954-462-0222 or visit ParkerPlayhouse.com.

* Rhineberger Organ Concerto and Mozart Requiem

Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Pompano Beach, 2331 NE 26th Ave. in Pompano Beach. A collection of choirs and musicians to perform in memory of the late Richard Kull.Tickets $15 to $20. Call 954-941-2308, ext. 112 or visit PinkPres.org.

* Demi Lovato

Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the BB&T Center, One Panther Parkway in Sunrise. The actress turned singer visits South Florida on her Neon Lights tour. Tickets $42.75 to $81. Visit TheBBTCenter.com.

Laffing Matterz: With a Vengeance...

Through March 22 at the Broward Center, 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Hailed as the best dinner theatre by local critics, night after night this gang of performers will have you cracking up. Tickets $63 to $69. Call 954-462-0222 or visit BrowardCenter.org.

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Palm Beach County Two Gentlemen of Verona

Feb. 14 to 23 at FAU’s Studio One Theater, 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton. In Shakespeare’s earliest play, Valentine and his friend, the married Proteus, fall in love with the same woman while on a trip to Milan. Tickets $20. Call 1-800-564-9539 or visit them online at FAUEvents.com.

SPANK!

Feb. 18 to 23 at the Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. A parody of the beloved Fifty Shades of Grey series. Tickets $40. Call 561-8327469 or visit Kravis.org.

The Barber of Seville

Feb. 21 to 23 at the Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Figaro the barber helps Rosina outsmart Don Bartolo, who is after her for her money and love. Tickets from $25. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.

The Spirit of Uganda

Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. the Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. A celebration of the resilience of East Africa, which has been plagued by civil war and AIDS. Tickets $15. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.

BOXer Shorts 3

Feb. 22 and 23 at the Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW Ninth St. in Delray Beach. Six new short plays with 17 quirky characters that will have you in stitches. Tickets $12 to $15. Call 561-272-1281, ext. 4 or visit DelrayBeachPlayhouse.com.

* Alvin Ailey

Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. For decades the dance company has wowed audiences with dance styles ranging from classical to new age. Tickets $25 to $85. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.

* Roslyn Kind

Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. The younger sister of Barbra Streisand, she has held her own as a Broadway singer. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org. soflagaynews //

* Sweet Pea and the Duke

Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. Palm Beach State College Eissey Campus Theatre, 3160 PGA Blvd. in Palm Beach Gardens. Tuesday Nite Big Band pays tribute to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Tickets $15. Call 561207-5900 or visit PalmBeachState.edu.

* Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Feb. 25 and 26 at the Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Olga Kern on piano and conductor Leonard Slatkin join the orchestra. Tickets $35 to $100. Call 561-832-7469 or visit Kravis.org.

* Capitol Steps 2014 – Fiscal Shades of Gray

Feb. 25 to March 9 at the Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Politics in Washington, D.C. get a comedic make over with satirical songs and skits. Tickets $40. Call 561-8327469 or visit Kravis.org.

Old Times

Through March 2 at the Don & Ann Brown Theatre, 201 Clematis St. in West Palm Beach. Kate is surprised when her friend, Anna, visits after 20 years. Tickets $60. Call 561-514-4042 or visit PalmBeachDramaworks.org.

The Sounds of Simon

Through March 9 at the Delray Square Performing Arts, 4809 W. Atlantic Ave. in Delray Beach. A revivla of the hit South Florida musical featuring the music and lyrics of Paul Simon. Tickets $35. Visit DelraySquareArts.com or SoundsofSimon.com.

Free Friday Concerts

Fridays at 7:30 p.m. at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. Enjoy live music from the comfort of your picnic blanket or lawn chair every week, for free! Call 561-243-7922 or visit DelrayArts.org.

Miami-Dade County * The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart

Feb. 19 to 23 at Bar 337, 337 SW Eighth St. in Miami. The National Theatre of Scotland moves the stage into a bar, it’s the perfect setting for a woman who is

SouthFloridaGayNews

Julio Iglesias

Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. at the AmericanAirlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Iglesias stops in Miami to celebrate his birthday on his world tour. Tickets $64.25 to $148.65. Call 786-777-1000 or visit AAArena.com.

Lisa Landry

Feb. 22 at 8 p.m. at the Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St. in Aventura. The Louisiana comedienne jokes about her conversion from Catholicism to Judaism, because “it’s the same guilt trip but with 20 percent off at Macy’s.” Tickets $32.50 to $37.50. Call 305-466-8002 or visit AventuraCenter.org.

* Floyd Collins

Through Feb. 22 at the University of Miami Jeremy Herman Ring Theater, 1312 Miller Drive in Coral Gables. In his pursuit to turn a Kentucky cave into a tourist attraction, Floyd Collins finds himself trapped 200 feet underground. Tickets $15 to $25. Call 305284-4474 or visit Miami.edu.

Assassins

Through Feb. 23 at the Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. A journey through time and the lives of nine assassins. Tickets $45. Call 305-949-6722 or visit ArshtCenter.org.

Visiting Hours

Through March 2 at the New Theatre, 10950 SW 211 St. in Cutler Bay. A lesbian couple’s estranged son comes back into their lives when he is arrested for aggravated assault. Tickets $20 to $30. Call 786-5735300 or visit New-Theatre.org.

Next Fall

Through March 2 at the Main Street Playhouse, 6766 Main St. in Miami Lakes. Adam, an atheist, is at odds with the family of his partner, Luke, a Christian, when he falls into a coma. Tickets $18 to $25. Call 305-558-3737 or visit MainStreetPlayers.com.

The Big Show

Fridays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. at Just the Funny Theater, 3119 Coral Way in Miami. A collection of comedy mixing the likes of improvisation and sketches. Tickets $12. Call 305-693-8669 or visit JustTheFunny.com.

soflagaynews //

SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 2.19.14 //

ommunity Datebook

Christiana Lilly, Calendar@SFGN.com

Broward County

Conversation With Opera Star Leona Mitchell

Feb. 21 from 10 a.m. to Noon at the NSU Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, One E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Meet the renowned opera singer in this intimate setting. Tickets $20. Call 954-709-7447 or visit VenetianArtsSociety.org.

Dream Big

Feb. 21 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Specialty Automotive Treatments, 700 W. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Join Miami Heat point guard, Mario Chalmers, and former Miami Dolphins player, Jason Taylor, for a cocktail party benefiting the Mario V. Chalmers Foundation and the Jason Taylor Foundation. Tickets $125. Contact Patricia Kneski at 954-765-1329 or email Patricia@KipHunterMarketing.com.

Ruggerfest

Feb. 21 to 23 at Central Broward Regional Park & Stadium in Lauderhill at 3700 NW 11th Place. Male and female rugby teams from high school to adult premier take to the field. Gate fee $1.50. Call 954543-6287 or email Coach@FtLRugby.com.

Carnaval

NEW YEAR... NEW WIN New events, new ideas...

www.womeninnetwork.com

Feb. 22 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Richardson Historic Park Manor House, 1937 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. A night of samba and fun straight from Rio de Janeiro, benefiting The Pride Center and the Island City Foundation. Tickets $125. Visit EveningInParadise.org.

Old School Family Reunion Block Party

Feb. 23 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Pride Center, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Celebrate Black History Month with pride with an afternoon with old school music, soul food, and card games. Call 954-775-2310 or email BlackGayPride@gmail.com.

William Glackens

Feb. 23 to June 1 at the NSU Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, One E. Las Olas Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. An American realist painter, Glackens was one of the brains behind the Ashcan School of American Art. Call 954-525-5500 or visit MOAFL.org.

* Quarterly Networking Luncheon

Feb. 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Dos Caminos, 1140 Seabreeze Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. A meeting of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Tickets $30 to $40 with complimentary parking. RSVP to Keith@GFLGLCC.org

Proud to be named 2013’s

BEST SOCIALNETWORK FOR WOMEN in SFGN’s Best of Gay Friendly South Florida

Save the Date!

WIN’s 19th Annual Charity Golf Tournament

Saturday, April 5, 2014 at Inverrary Country Club

* “Dying to be a Woman”

Feb. 25 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Pride Center Shubert Building, 2040 N. Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. Watch the documentary on the dangers of silicone injections, followed by a discussion on this huge problem in our community. RSVP to Arianna Lint 954-764-5150, ext. 112 or email alint@sunserve.org.

PFLAG

Tuesdays in Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs and Southwest Ranches. A support group for parents of LGBT youth 13 to 21. Free. Visit SunServeYouth.com for dates and locations.

SunServe Youth Group

Tuesdays and Thursdays in Fort Lauderdale,

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soflagaynews //

SouthFloridaGayNews

Southwest Ranches, Coral Springs and Hollywood. A support group and night of fun for LGBT youth 13 to 21. Free. Visit SunServeYouth.com for dates and times.

Gender Bender Youth Group

Mondays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at SunServe Campus, 1480 SW Ninth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. A group for LGBT youth 13 to 21 to discuss gender, gender expression, binary systems, friendship, family and whatever else comes up! Free. Visit SunServeYouth.com

GayWrites

Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at the Stonewall Library, 1300 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Come join us and write your memoir, poem, blog, novel or short story. Free. Email garri1@earthlink.net

Survivor Support

First and third Wednesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Broward Health Imperial Point Hospital cafeteria, 6401 N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale. Find support from counselors and peers who have lost loved ones to suicide. Call the Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention at 954-384-0344 or visit FISPOnline.org.

Palm Beach County Learn to Make Sushi at Home

Feb. 23 from 10 a.m. to Noon at the Morikami Park Road in Delray Beach. Learn to make your favorite sushi rolls with the guidance of Chef Mitsutoshi Sekita. Tickets $70. Register to call 561-495-0233.

* Bijoux!

Feb. 27 to March 2 at the North Museum of Art, 1451 S. Olive Ave. in West Palm Beach. Scour through contemporary art jewelry from artists around the world. Preview cocktail party Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. Call 561-832-5196, ext. 1118 or visit Norton.org.

Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition

Through April 20 at the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, 4801 Dreher Trail North in West Palm Beach. With your replica boarding pass of an actual passenger in hand, enter the world of 1912 on board the Titanic. Tickets $15. Call 561-832-1988 or visit SFScienceCenter.org.

Delray Art League

Through April 27 at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts, 51 N. Swinton Ave. in Delray Beach. An exhibit of local artists’ work, including oils, watercolors, sculpture, and photography. Call 561-243-7922 or visit DelrayArts.org.

Paths

Mondays from 7 to 8 p.m. at Compass GLCC, 201 N. Dixie Highway in Lake Worth. A men’s discussion group about relationships, coming out, safe sex and more. Visit CompassGLCC.com.

Miami-Dade County * Kitchen Collab

Feb. 19 to 21 at noon at Tongue & Cheek, 431 Washington Ave. in Miami Beach. Tongue & Cheek teams up with celebrity chef, Robert Irvine, for a special three-course lunch. Tickets $75. Call 305704-2900 or visit TandCMiami.com.

* SoBe Wine & Food Festival

Feb. 20 to 23 throughout Miami Beach. The most highly anticipated culinary event of the year, celebrity chefs and local restaurants and bars gather for a nonstop, long weekend of food and drink. Visit SoBeFest.com.

ightlife

Datebook

Christiana Lilly, Calendar@SFGN.com

Broward County

Alibi H

2266 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Best and longest happy hour; Wednesdays $2 domestics and $1 Schnapps after 9 p.m. Call 954-565-2526 or visit GeorgiesAlibi.com.

Hunter’s Ft. Lauderdale

2232 Wilton Drive. Enjoy Latin Fridays with DJ Richie Rich and half-priced drinks for Happy Hour. Call 954-630-3556 or visit HuntersNightclubs.com.

Boardwalk Bar/Beefcakes H

1721 N. Andrews Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. Open daily from 5pm til 2am. Nightly events and daily specials. Thursdays, 2-4-1 dinners with drink purchase. Visit BoardwalkBar.com or call 954-463-6969.

Fort Dix

6205 Georgia Ave. in West Palm Beach. A great place to mingle and relax with DJs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Call 561-533-5355.

H.G. Roosters

823 Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach. The city’s oldest gay club, with hot male dancer, free BBQ and karaoke. Call 561-832-9119.

Vita Ultra Lounge Saturdays

1225 Belvedere Road in West Palm Beach. LGBT Saturdays with the best drag queens around. Call 561-835-8482 or visit VitaUltraLounge.com.

Miami-Dade County Azucar

The Club Fort Lauderdale

2301 SW 32nd Ave. in Miami. Jock night Wednesdays, drag Thursdays, girls night Fridays and more. Call 305-443-7657 or visit AzucarMiami.com

Johnny’s

34 NE 11th St. in Miami. Come out for a night at the infamous nightclub known for crazy all-nighters to the best live electronic dance music. Call 305-3501956 or visit ClubSpace.com.

110 NW Fifth St. in Fort Lauderdale. A gym oasis with a pool, steam room, hot tub and half-priced rooms on Tuesday nights and half-priced lockers on Thursdays. Call 954-525-3344 or visit TheClubs.com. 1116 W. Broward Blvd in Fort Lauderdale. Sixty hot dancers with drink specials to make it even sweeter. Call 954-522-5931 or visit JohnnysBarFL.com

The Manor

2345 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Dance club Friday and Saturday nights. Call 954-626-0082 or visit TheManorComplex.com.

Naked Grape Wine Bar & Tapas 2163 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. A casual, hip bar to try out all sort of wines. Happy Hour all night on Thursdays. Call 954-563-5631 or visit NakedGrapeWineBar.com.

Rumors Bar & Grill

2426 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Come check out Rumors Bar & Grill. Call 954.565.8851 or visit RumorsBarWM.com.

Infinity Lounge

Located in the Gables Complex, this upscale boutique bar offers Martinis and specialty cocktails, featuring fresh fruit concoctions in an intimate, chic, setting with sexy, jazzy, lounge music. For more information, call 754-223-3619 or visit InfinityLoungeFL.com

Sidelines Sports & Video Bar

2031 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Relax with a cold beer for some friendly competition on the pool table. Call 954-563-8001 or visit SidelinesSports.com.

Swinging Richards

1350 SW 2nd St, Pompano Beach, FL 33069. Fully nude male dancers for the best shows in the South. Call 954-357-5521 or visit SwingingRichards.com.

Village Pub Wilton Manors

2283 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Never miss out on a happy hour, as the pub is serving up two-forone drinks Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, hit the dance floor with world class VJs. Call 754-200-5244 or visit VillagePubWM.com.

Palm Beach County The Cottage

522 Lucerne Ave. in Lake Worth. Tea Dance Sundays with great service, food and drinks. Call 561-586-0080.

H A Great Place for Sunday Brunch!

COMING UP NEXT WEEK!

Club Space

Discotekka

950 NE Second Ave. in Miami. Come on Saturday nights for some of the best DJs around. Call 305-3509084 or visit Discotekka.com.

WHO WILL IT BE?

Eros Lounge

8201 Biscayne Blvd. in Miami. Bingo Tuesdays and Born to be a Drag Fridays. Call 305-754-3444 or visit ErosLoungeMiami.com.

Score

1437 Washington Ave. in Miami Beach. Located in the heart of South Beach with hot male dancers, F#*K’N Classy Thursdays, Filthy Gorgeous parties Fridays, and different DJs and entertainers each Saturday. Call 305-535-1111 or visit ScoreBar.net.

Twist South Beach

1057 Washington Ave. in Miami Beach. Multiple rooms to give you the music you want, muscle boy dancers, and never a cover. Call 305- 538-9478 or visit TwistSoBe.com.

The Palace Bar H

South Beach’s popular Palace Bar is right in the middle of one of the most fun parts of Miami Beach’s famed Ocean Drive. Its known for their fabulous drag shows and Sunday brunch. Call 305-531-7234 or visit PalaceSouthBeach.com

Key West

801 Girls Cabaret

801 Duval St. in Key West. The island’s only daytime drag show. Call 305-923-9296 or visit 801Girls.com

Bottlecap Groove Lounge

1128 Simonton St. in Key West. Thursday pool tournaments and dance parties Friday and Saturday nights. Tips during Happy Hour on Fridays will benefit a different nonprofit every week. Call 305296-2807 or visit BottlecapKeyWest.com.

The Bourbon St. Pub

724 Duval St. in Key West. Get a taste of New Orleans with the best video bar with live DJs every night. Call 305-296-1992.

Club Aqua

711 Duval St. in Key West. Dueling bartenders on Mondays as they sing, shake and stir their way to victory. Call 305-294-0555 or visit AquaKeyWest.com.

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SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 2.19.14 //

Classified$

computers

To place an ad call 954.530.4970 or visit SFGN.com/getlisted accommodations attorneys

PERFECT VACATION RENTALS! Winter rates from $99 per night! Award Winning Gay Hotel. Beautiful Studio, 1 & 2 BR Self Catering Apts. with Full Kitchen.Clothing optional heated pool, laundry, private parking. Central to Wilton Manors & Haulover Nude Beach. Includes Wi-Fi utilities, cable, tel. Gay Owned & Operated. Pets Welcome. Celebrating 16 Years. Call Joe or Jack at (954) 927-0090 or visit www.LibertySuites.com *Four Week+ Relocation Discounts Offered*

COMPLETE COMPUTER REPAIR FREE ESTIMATES - No extra charge for in-home. FREE Computer tune-up with any service. Replacement of laptop screen & key board. Viruses, spyware, data recovery, lockouts & more. SAME DAY SERVICE - LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEE Call Ernesto: 754-234-5598 HATE WINDOWS 8? We can bring back the look and feel of windows. Same day service. Call 954-986-1316 www.gaycomputerwiz.com

counseling/therapy LICENSED CHRISTIAN COUNSELOR Dr. Saul Thermidor, FACCT # LCCP 0365011212 Licensed Christian Psychologist provides Christian counseling on LGBT, anger, violence & personal issues. I speak English, French and Creole. Call 305-407-9397 day, evening & weekends!

LOOKING FOR LODGIING NEAR SUNLIFE STADIUM? Completely furnished luxury 1/BD/1BA Condo. Easy access to public transportation and major express ways. Shopping and dining are in walking distance. Gated Community and private parking. Reasonably priced @$375 a week or $1,500 a month plus $400 processing and move in fees. Call 305-793-8650.

air conditioning dentists

HONEST, RELIABLE AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING SERVICES Gay owned and operated company, Eiland Air, Inc. 24 hour service. Reasonable prices. Licensed & Insured #CAC1817222 Call Mike 786-247-6022

ArtStrauss@aol.com 6000 South Dixie Highway, Suite B West Palm Beach, FL 33405

employment/jobs EXPERIENCED FULL SERVICE TRAVEL AGENT Agency is located on Wilton Drive. Full time position possible for the right person. Must have good internet and communication skills and be well traveled. Ability to assist clients with airline tickets, hotels, cars and cruises and tour packages. Call 954-565-2345 for an initial phone interview. May consider a sharp administrative/ sales person willing to learn the industry. COMPANION FOR ELDERLY GENTLEMAN WANTED - In-home care. Patient suffers from mild dementia. Position is part time to start. Exceptional working environment and conditions. Must have clean background check, mature, good natured and in good health need apply. Submit resume with cover letter, including references and pay requirements to: P.O. Box 2213, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33303 SWINGING RICHARDS NOW HIRING Quality Male Dancers & Waiters. Full nudity/upscale club environment with great income potential. Please text (865)385-9568 or email photos/info to roman@swingingrichards.com HANDYMAN NEEDED!!! Part time handyman needed to with building projects. Painting, Tile work, Electrical, Construction. Wages based on experience. Call 954-892-0494

alarm systems

STATE-OF-THE-ART-DENTISTRY General & Cosmetic Dentistry Sedation Dentistry

antiques/collectibles

WANTED!!! Stamp Collections and Accumulations. Please call John 954-467-7128 OR 954-614-2562. BRIAN’S CLEANING SERVICE - Honest, Reliable,Competitive Rates! I have 15 years experience, Detail oriented. Call 954-446-5545 for free estimate! HOME AND COMMERCIAL CLEANING Residential and Commercial cleaning. Experienced with references and provide free estimates. Call 305-896-7494 or 214-356-0684

// 2.19.2014 // SFGN.com //

ACCOUNT MANAGERS, BOOK KEEPERS AND SALES REPRESENTATIVES Work your own flexible schedule! Pays $1500 to $2000 monthly plus benefits. Must be computer literate, have 2-3 hours access to the internet weekly. We are looking for efficient and dedicated people who are at least 21 years of age. Contact us for more details. If you are interested and need more information, send your resumes to ruthmace7@gmail.com ENTRY LEVEL SALES EXECUTIVE Full time Sales, Client Services, Direct Marketing, Lead Generation, Telemarketing & Email Services. Microsoft Word & Excel experience. Competitive Salary plus Commission, Medical/Dental, 401k & Profit Sharing. Email Resume to aleen@lighthouselist.com HANDYMAN NEEDED! Seeking Semi retired mature male for an upscale Mobile home community maintenance man in East Fort Lauderdale. 30HRS a week, Monday thru Friday. The address is 3001 S.W. 18TH Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315. Call 954-522-7478 for more details.

MOVIE POSTERS WANTED Private collector buying vintage movie posters, lobby cards, film stills, photography and other old entertainment memorabilia. Call for a free appraisal to find out what your stuff is worth! All calls confidential. Ralph 800.392.4050 email: sell@ralphdeluca.com

cleaning services

employment/jobs

THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSONS RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAYMENT FOR ANY OTHER SERVICES, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT WHICH IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED OR REDUCED SERVICE, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT.

cleaning services CLEAN IT RIGHT! The best cleaning for your buck. 1BD $50, 2BD $60, 3BD $70. Excellent rates & references. 10 years in business. Serving Broward, North Miami Dade & S. Palm Beach. Call Manny 954-560-4443 soflagaynews //

PERSONAL ASSISTANT & MALE COMPANION SEEKING a part-time job as a personal assistant & male companion in Broward County. Will take you to doctors appointments. Help you w/ your grocery shopping. Refill or pick up medications. Will drive you to do all your errands & assist w/ daily household chores. Great driving record, honest, professional, reliable, trustworthy, & always willing to help and assist. If you have any further questions please call 954-548-1798 or email Ltn69@yahoo.com Thank you.

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SouthFloridaGayNews

Need a Job?

Contact SFGN’s Associate Publisher Jason Parsley at Jason.Parsley@sfgn.com Florida’s Largest LGBT News Publication 2520 N. Dixie Highway, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 954-530-4970

furniture repair AAA FURNITURE HOSPITAL We specialize in gluing and clamping of “broken and loose” tables, chairs and occasional pieces. Other services include repair of cigarette burns,perfume stains ,dog bites, water damage,recliner and sofa bed repairs. Free estimates 954-493-5221

flood/fire

interior design

licensed massage

pets/supplies

Dog Walking: $10.00 starting at Pet Sitting: $40.00 In House Pet Sitting: $45.00 Training: $10.00 starting per visit Pet Taxi (FTL Area): $20.00

handyman HUSBAND FOR RENT! Is he procrastinating home repairs? He says he will do it tomorrow?? After the football game?? We fit right in - In the house or the yard, small or big jobs: Tiles, Dry walls, paint, Plumbing, Roof leaks, broken furniture, Irrigation, Fences, wood decks, trash compost bins & more. It doesn’t cost to hassle us to see the work - so why wait? Neat, clean work for reasonable price. Call Haim at 954-398-3676, Sidnalll@yahoo.com

home care HEART TO HEART HOMEMAKER AND COMPANION If you or your loved one are elderly, or temporarily, or chronically disabled, we can help you with home chores (cooking, light-house cleaning, laundry) and be your companion for home or where you need to go. We will work with you to find the plan that fits your needs. 954-226-4660. Right in the heart of Wilton Manors.

home improvement

THINGS YOU NEED TO ACCOMPLISH? Minds at ease, A+ handyman service. Prompt, Reliable & Honest. Call Keldon Keller at 954-551-3127 or email krkeller@aol.com TOP NOTCH CONTRACTING Knows all and does all!! Many years of experience and easy on the eyes! Remodeling, Trimming, Ground molding, Drywall, Painting, Landscaping, Roofing, Tile work, Electrical, Windows, Doors and more. Very reasonable rates and free estimates. Call Shawn 954-549-8243

Dependable • Reliable Service Delivered with Love and Respect

licensed massage

954-297-5336

RECESSION RELIEF $40 per 90 MIN - Out calls higher. Swedish, Deep Tissue, Specialty Back, Lower Body & Feet. Couples Discounts. Seniors Welcome. Delray Beach. 16 years experience. MA18563 Dennis 561-502-2628 AFFORDABLE AWESOME MASSAGE BY JIM Offering Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports and LomiLomi Massage for Men; in a very comfortable, relaxed and Private Massage Studio, NOW conveniently located in Wilton Manors on NE 26th Street, with plenty of free parking. Same Day appointments are welcome; please call Jim, 954-600-5843 email: info@massagebyjim.com or visit my website for testimonials, rates and more. GREAT OPENING SPECIAL NOW AVAILABLE! www.massagebyjim.com Licensed and Certified MM22293 WILTON MANORS MASSAGE Swedish, Deep Tissue, Sports. $59 Swedish Hour. Call or text Chris Tunkus at 954-258-8779 1322 NE 4th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL www.WiltonManorsMassage.com

www.greendogpetservices.com

Lic# 11000106488

pets/supplies

THE BRITISH POUND John Maroussas LMT Sports Massage, Deep Tissue, Neuromuscular, Trigger Point, Swedish, Salt or Sugar Scrubs. Private Studio w/ Shower. Wilton Manors location near Bill’s. Lic#MA51123 Call 954-999-2240

human resources WE GOT YOU COVERED! Advocates for student needs. Specializing in helping foster students and others transition into responsible, independent Adults. We are here to help find resources and outlets for stable and healthy adult lives. Call 786-793-8650 for more information.

Cavachin Puppies For sale

landscaping

IRRIGATION SYSTEM REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE 19 years experience, excellent work, referrals upon request. Call Roberto 954-383-8980

licensed massage

INCREDIBLY AWESOME BODYWORK in WPB! Incalls @ private studio, 15 min. due west of PBIA. Intuitive, experienced LMT offers affordable rates 7 days, early to late. ASK ABOUT WEEKLY SPECIALS! Calls only, 561-254-8065 for the very best massage experience you can get, HANDS DOWN!

pets/supplies STEVEN JAY’S LOVING WAYS PET CARE! I care for your pet in my home. One client at a time if requested. Multiple pets and all pets welcome! I have a very clean home and low rates! Call Steven Jay at 954-565-1996

Beautiful breeding of The King Charles Cavalier Spaniel & Japanese Chin. Puppies are healthy and have 1st shots. $500 each.

Call 937-409-8581 for more information!

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piano lessons

rent/lease fort lauderdale

WANT TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY THE PIANO? Learn from an experienced teacher. All levels and ages welcome. Learn to play classical, popular, jazz, or show tunes. Visit www.edwinchad.com or call 954-826-9555 for more information.

BUYING? SELLING? RENTING?

pool services

I CAN HELP!

POOL SERVICE Mention this ad and receive your ﬁrst month

FREE! some restrictions apply

Serving Broward Since 1999

Call for a free estimate: 954-367-7007 Web: www.skimmerspools.com Email: skimmerspoolservice@gmail.com

condo for sale MANOR GROVE CONDOS Spacious 2/2 corner unit, w/ wood laminate flooring, new paint throughout & huge master walk-in closet. AC 2006, new water heater & rolladen storm shutter protection. Walking distance to The Drive. Low maint. fee of $316/ mo. Small pet under 20 lbs. okay. Call Jeff Sullivan, EWM Realtors, 954-383-2117 CO OP FOR SALE, CORAL RIDGE TOWERS 2BD /2BA, 2 blocks from the beach, Olympic size pool! Top floor Northview. For sale by owner. Call for more details. 718-624-2976

rent/lease fort lauderdale LAKERIDGE FURN. GARDEN STUDIO Central to beach/downtown/Wilton Drive.Clean newly ren. 1 rm and bath. Lg. private fenced courtyard. private entry with parking,laundry onsite, water and electric included. $765/mo. 1st and security with lease. Avail March 1st call 941-548-7989 MIDDLE RIVER TERRACE Remodeled 1 Remodeled 1 BDRM w/ granite/stainless kitchen, updated bath, pool view, & private patio. Small pet okay/ no smoking. Available 1/6/2014 w/ credit/background checks/ assoc. approval. $925/mo., first, last, security, 1 yr. lease. Call Jeff Sullivan, EWM Realtors, 954-383-2117 HUGE 2/2 POOL DUPLEX - POMPANO BEACH Updated, Lushly Landscaped, East of Fed Hwy 1 Mile to Beach, D/R, Sep. Laundry W/D, Fab Lrg Pool, New Central AC, Tile Floors, Small Dog or Cat ok. $1390, Available 2/1/13 Call Tim: 754-235-2911

KEN EUNICE, REALTOR® CALL

770.862.9397

KenEunice.com

HOUSE FOR RENT, OAKLAND PARK Beautiful 2200sf, house, 4BR/2BA. Open concept. New kitchen/Laundry/Tile/Central air/ heat. Fenced yard, patio, Mango and Avocado trees $1900. Must see! By appt. 954-629-2884 MIDDLE RIVER TERRACE Remodeled 1 BDRM w/ granite/stainless kitchen, updated bath, pool view, & private patio. Small pet okay/ no smoking. Available 1/6/2014 w/ credit/ background checks/ assoc. approval. $925/mo., first, last, security, 1 yr. lease. Call Jeff Sullivan, EWM Realtors, 954-383-2117 BEAUTIFUL EAST FORT LAUDERDALE Mobile Home Park (not your grandparent’s trailer park) located East of 95, minutes to Wilton Manors and Beaches. Currently has 2 Bedroom 2 bath homes available for purchase starting at $28,000.00 Call Chris at 954-522-7478 or email sblauderlakes@bellsouth.net Please see us on facebook at LauderLakes

rent/lease west palm beach PB COUNTY - LAKE PARK 2/1 CONDO 2nd Floor Corner - Next to Kelsey Park across from Intracoastal Great Locations. $750 per month • 1 year Lease • No Pets • No Smoking • 1st & Security. Call 561-310-0615 POMPANO BEACH - 2/2 Condo - East of U.S.1, pool, elevator, 2nd fl. end unit, F.L. & Sec., Application/min. 1 yr. lease, $1,100/mo. Call 954-806-8821

roommates

LAUDERLAKES ROOMATE WANTED Share a 2/2 on lake w/ hot tub, private bath, W/D, dishwasher, central a/c and cable. $400/mo includes utilities & internet. Looking for a mature professional. 1st & security deposit. Background check req. Call Gary 954-803-0885 MALE ROOMMATE WANTED Male roommate wanted for 2/1/13. Beautiful WPB 2BD/2BA apt to share $650/Mo. Water, Elect, Waste Mgt included. Deposit + 1st. mo. Required. Call 561-316-7236 ROOM FOR RENT IN WILTON MANORS Wilton Manors 3 Bedroom pool house room for rent to Gay Professional Male. Must be dog friendly. $650 per month, includes all utilities and full access. Call 954-268-6547 or Email: gwhite5@me.com

PALM AIRE Affordable and ready to move in. Beautiful 1 bedroom King Apt. 1.5 bath, new flooring and freshly painted walls. Can be furnished or unfurnished. A great place to live!! Call Myron 201-214-3992. NEWLY RENOVATED 2BR APARTMENT Very private location, all stainless appliances, tile throughout, minutes from beach, small dogs and cats ok, includes gas, water and electric $1300/ mo, first and security. For more information, call Sean at 954-621-7009

rent/lease wilton manors

1BR/1BA Condo Oakland Park Near Wilton Manors. Pet Friendly. Recently remodeled bathroom. Wood and tile floors. Dixie Hwy. $775/mo. Call 305-304-8405 TWO STORY VILLA – OAKLAND PARK Use as 2/2 or 3/2, Kitchen, Living Room, TV room, Balcony, Sundeck, over 1500 sq. ft. W/D included and pets are ok. 4001 NE 14th Ave $1,800/mo Call 954-485-9440

MANOR GROVE CONDOS Nice 1 bedroom with 1.5 bath. Screened in patio with wood floors, pool and clubhouse. Washer and dryer on premises. Quiet community. $900 a month. Call for more details. 954-242-3486

To place an ad call 954.530.4970 or visit SFGN.com/getlisted 46

// 2.19.2014 // SFGN.com //

soflagaynews //

HOME TO SHARE - WALK TO DRIVE! Mature prof. seeks roommate in 2/2 home w/ pool. Furnished room, private bath, all utilities, cable TV-WiFi internet access, W/D, C/AC, and full house and pool privileges.Only $850/mo. Min 6 mo. lease. Ref/Bkgrnd check required.No pets. Owner has cat.First and security.954-873-5321 LOOKING FOR A ROOMMATE Senior GWF on Social Security looking to share rent in a clean, decent, safe apartment or home for $350 to $450 per month. I am mobile, have my own car and also looking for any part time work available. Please call 954-325-7111

real estate for sale DAYTONA BEACH Gay rental complex for sale 2br home + 5 detached rental units beach side. Owner financing real estate, trade or cash down. $420k DaytonaGayComplex.com KEY WEST BUNGALOW - SOUTH MIDDLE RIVER Charming 3/1 sits on lushly landscaped lot just steps from Wilton Drive. Huge screened lanai overlooks garden and 150-foot Royal Palm. Call Peter Cowan Realtor, BH&G FL 1st. 954-234-8365. Virtual Tour available at Realtor.com – MLS 1266462

spiritual

METAPHYSICAL CHAPEL Metaphysical Chapel of South Florida offers Sunday Divine Services, Healing, Psychic fairs & more. 1480 SW 9th Ave, FtLaud. www.MetaphysicalChapel.com

To place an ad call 954.530.4970 or visit SFGN.com/getlisted

rent/lease pompano beach

LARGE 2BR/1 BA Beautiful wood floors, private yard, single family home with canvas covered parking, amazing bonus room, washer/ dryer. Quiet neighborhood walking distance to Wilton Drive/restaurants, clubs, etc. Background check/credit check required. Available NOW!!! $1,650month Please call Terri Wright with Sea Island Realty, Inc. at 954-401-4918

roommates

SouthFloridaGayNews

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SouthFloridaGayNews // SFGN.com // 2.19.14 //